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EXPLORATIONS   ON   THE   NILE; 

WITH  OBSERVATIONS  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE 

MANNERS,  CUSTOMS,  AND  INSTITUTIONS 

OF    THE    PEOPLE, 

AND  OF  THE 

PRESENT  CONDITION  OF  THE  ANTIQUITIES  AND  RUINS. 

WITH    NUMEROUS    ENGRAVINGS. 


BY    J.    V.    C.    SMITH, 

EDITOR    OF    THE    BOSTON    MEDICAL    AND    SURGICAL    JOURNAL. 


BOSTON: 
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63     (VASHINOTON    BTREET. 

1852. 


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JEO.    C.    RA.ND,    PRI>rEH,    CORNHILL. 


PREFACE. 


An  essential  part  of  this  volume,  -whicli  embraces  extracts 
from  a  diary,  has  been  detached  from  a  manuscript  on  Pal- 
estine, soon  to  be  published,  because  it  relates  particularly 
to  Egypt,  -while  the  other  refers  to  sections  of  Asia  Minor. 
It  was,  therefore,  thought  advisable  to  separate  them. 

Minute  antiquarian  researches  have  not  been  introduced, 
from  the  circumstance  that  every  Avork  that  has  been  vrrit- 
ten,  of  late,  upon  that  extraordinary  country,  abounds  with 
particular  details  in  regard  to  length,  breadth,  and  height. 
Facts  of  this  nature  have  been  laid  aside  by  themselves,  to 
be  used  when  occasion  may  require. 

Very  many  incidents  might  have  been  chronicled,  of 
every-day  occurrence,  that  were  omitted,  on  account  of  their 
strangeness :  they  were  so  much  at  variance  with  the 
usages  and  customs  of  Christian  communities,  that  it  is 
only  by  pei'sonally  seeing  and  hearing  that  they  could  be 
understood.  The  difference  between  the  institutions  of  a 
Mohammedan  country  and  our  own  is  very  striking. 
Rather  than  hazard  the  possibility  of  offending  any  one,  by 
the  recital  of  facts  without  parallel  out  of  the  regions  where 

A* 


VI  PREFACE. 

they  are  common, — -wliicli  would  demonstrate  the  immediate 
necessity  for  hastening  the  universal  diffusion  of  Christianity 
over  those  benighted  regions,  where  moral  dai-kness  and 
despotism  reign  triumphantly,  —  nothing  more  has  been 
recorded  than  commonly  falls  within  the  compass  of  a 
traveller's  notes,  collected  especially  for  the  gratification  of 
a  circle  of  friends. 

A  few  typographical  errors  escaped  detection  till  it  was 
too  late  to  correct  them.  Some  repetitions  exist,  also,  hav- 
ing their  origin  in  writing  every  day's  observations  where 
each  returning  sun  brought  into  view  similar  sights,  and 
exhibitions  of  society. 

Wherever  drawings  could  be  found  that  were  better  than 

those   made  by  myself,  they  were  unhesitatingly  copied. 

Fashions  always  remain  nearly  the  same  in  Egypt;    and 

hence  a  true  pictorial  illustration,  at  any  one  period,  explains 

the  past,  present  and  future,  while  the  same  race  of  men 

occupy  the  valley  of  the  Nile. 

J.  V.  C.  SMTH. 
Boston,  March,  1852. 


EDWARD    SUTTON    SMITH, 

THIS     EPITOME 

OP 
IS     AFFECTIONATELY 


INDEX  OF   SUBJECTS. 


A. 

PACE 
AlEXA2sDEIA,       .  .  .  .11 

"          Government  of,  27 

All's  Breeches,  ....  38 

Abdallah,       ....  161 

Age,  how  reckoned,  ...  88 

Apis,  — Sacred  Bull,    .       .  243 

Airing,  on  iVsses,      .        .        .  340 

Atfeh, 40 

Antiques,  for  Sale,     .          142,  237 

Axes, 146 

Arabs,  Children  in  Intellect,  163 

Antiquities,    ....  166 
"    *     Sale  of,   .       .       .213 

Astronomers,  the  Place  for,  172 

Apples  of  Sodom,      .       .       .  191 

ApoUinopolis,         .        .        .  191 

Architecture,  Tomb  of,     .       .  203 

Artinoe, 213 

Artemidos  Speas,      .       .       .  216 

Arabs,  of  Sakkara,       .        .  236 

Arrows,  Poison,        .        .        .  255 

Arsinoe,  Canal,     .       .        .  258 

Albarouck, 267 

Attack  of  Bedouins,      .       .  352 

Adventurers,  Medical,     .       •  356 


PAGE 

Army,  taking  Soldiers  for  .  368 
Abbas  Pasha,    .       .       .       .378 

B. 

Bill  of  Health,  Malta,  ...  5 
Beds,  of  a  Palace,  ...  27 
Boat-songs,  ....  303 
Boats  of  Passage,  ...  29 
"  Slaves,  ...  167 
Buffaloes,  bathing,  ...  66 
Barrage  on  the  Nile,     .       .         61 

Bbths, 87 

Boulac, 65 

Brick  Pyramid,  .  .  .  114 
Bridle-bits,     ....  77 

Belzoni's  Tomb,  .  .  .197 
Blindness,  produced  by  Mothers,  82 
Begging  Arabs,  ...  94 
Bones,  at  Dendera,  .  .  160 
Bad  Company,  .  .  .  .202 
Bastinado,      .        .        .       219,  327 

BUnd  People 24 

Brokers,  ....  321 
Burial-fields,  .  .  .  .256 
Bubastis,  .  .  .  .  268 
Benisooef, 114 


IXDEX    OF    SUBJECTS. 


PAGE 

Bazaars,  ....  75,  319 
Backshiesh,  ....  94 
Beans,  for  Camels,       .       .        262 

C. 

Church  Ceremonies,  Malta,  7 

City  Expenditui'es,   ...      28 

Canal, 28 

Coiu-ts  of  LaTT,  ...  27 
Contracts  for  Boats,     .       .  30 

Circumcision,    .        .       .       38,  60 

Cairo, 65 

"     Return  to,       .       .       .225 
"     Old,      ....         66 

Carriages, 68 

Citadel  of  Cairo,  ...  70 
Cattle,  Droves  of,  .  .  73,  154 
Captain  of  the  Guard,         .  77 

Camels, 78 

Cavalry,  Exercises  of,  .         77, 227 

Cholera,     ....      86,355 

Clot  Bey, 

Crows, 

Coptish  Monks, 

Charms, 

Crocodiles, 

Cooking  a  Friend, 

Cotton  Factory, 

Chemmis,   . 

Cii-cassians,    . 

Canteen,     . 

Caravans, 

Coitee-houses, 

Colleges, 

Crimes, 

Consumption, 

Childbirth, 

Charities, 

Cheops'  Tomb, 

Civilization,  Ancient, 


.  113 

125 
.  142 

145 
.  173 

193 
.  212 

222 
.  255 

264 
.  311 

313 
.  327 

353 
.  354 

360 
.  370 

376 


D. 


PAGE 

Diseases  of  Egypt, 

.    9 

Dress  of  Females,     .       .     24 

335 

Dragomen 

30 

"          Plotters, 

163 

Dancing,  on  a  Boat,     . 

49 

Dung,  for  Fuel, 

87 

Drawing  Water,  in  Cairo,    . 

68 

Dogs, 

73 

Dining  out,     .... 

74 

Donkeys,  for  Hire,    . 

76 

Descent  from  Cheops,   . 

92 

Date-trees,         .       ,       .123 

268 

Dervish,  begging. 

144 

Dftncing-girls,    .        .        .152 

307 

Doum  Palm,  .... 

154 

Dendera,  Temple  of, 

155 

Digging  with  Hands,     . 

165 

Death  in  a  Village,    . 

173 

Digging  Mummies, 

200 

Death, 

225 

Drummers,     .... 

227 

Divorces,    .       .       .       .  281 

345 

Drawings  in  Tombs, 

195 

Departure  for  Desert, 

255 

Darabukkeh, 

306 

Drunkards 

327 

Diseases  of  Egypt, 

349 

Druggists, 

357 

Dietetics,        .       .       .      '. 

359 

Designs  of  Figures,  . 

373 

Deterioration, 

380 

E. 

Egypt,  Time  for  going  there,  . 

8 

Eyes,  how  to  treat, 

58 

"     with  only  one. 

82 

"    rarely  bathed,     . 

86 

"    EvU,         .... 

339 

Engineers  of  the  Bridge, 

64 

INDEX    OF    SUBJrXTS. 


IX 


Entrance  to  Pyramids,     . 
Explorations^  anticipated, 
"  Economy  of, 

Esne,      .... 
Edfou, 

Exile  of  Dancing-girls, 
Eggs,  only  clean  Eood, 
Egyptian  Jlind,     . 
Education, . 
Episcopal  Church, 
Eunuchs, 
Egypt  a  Problem, 


F. 

Foreign  OfiFenders, 
Fees  of  Consuls,     , 
Fun  of  Sailors, 
Fingerless  People, 
Fields,  for  Culture, 
Farm-houses, . 
Eos  tat, 

Franks  in  Cairo,    . 
Food  of  Horses, 
French  Savan, 
Fair,   . 

Fuel,  of  Grass, 
Fow,    . 

Fish,       .       .       . 
Festivities  on  Deck, 
Fee,  Medical, 
Forge,  Blacksmith's, 
Friday,  Holy, 
Flogging,    . 
Fleas, 

Foui^ins  in  Desert, 
Foreign  Criminals, 
Female  Dress,    . 
Fever,  Typhus, 


li 


G. 

GoTemor  of  Alexandria, 


PACE 

03 
159 
209 
.171 
172 
171 
172 
206 
312 
335 
3-10 
382 


27 

37 

50 

50 

51 

56 

GO 

69 

77 

81 

82 

,  2G3 

150 

154 

160 

163 

192 

210 

241 

259 

266 

327 

336 


28 


FAGB 

Granaries,      ....         28 
Gate,  Examination  of  Luggage  at,  37 


Guard  at  the  Bridge, 
Gates  in  Cairo,  . 
Goat's  Flesh,  poison, 
Geese,  vfild, 

"     cost  of, 
Grass,  for  Fuel, 
Guard,    . 

"      of  Honor, 
Government,  Policy  of. 
Guides,  at  Luxor, 


64 

.      68 

.   24,87 

112,  211 

144 

.    147 

153 

.    162 

165 

.    166 


Girls,  Slaves,  a  Ready  Market,  167 
"  carrying  Mortar,  .  170 
Granite  Statue  at  Thebes,  .  200 
Guides,  for  Karnak,  .  .  205 
Game  of  Chance,  .  .  .211 
Geology  of  Beni  Hassan,  .  214 
Grottos  of  Beni  Hassan,  .  .  215 
Goats  in  the  Desert,  .  .  265 
Ghawazee,  ....    S06 

Government  at  Present,       .       377 

II. 

Hovels,  at  Atfeh,  ...  42 
Hair,  of  the  Females,  .  .  55 
Hassan's  Story,  ...  59 
"  Ambition,  ...  60 
Hospitality,    .       .       .       .  71 

Horses,  very  fine,  ...  77 
Houses,  inside,  ...  80 
Harem,  .  ,  .  .89,  169 
"  Economy  of,  .  .  346 
Happy  Family,  .        .        ,122 

Heaven  of  Mohammed,  .  149 
Holy  of  Holies,  .  .  .158 
Howling  of  Women,  .  .  173 
Houses,  Top  of  a  Temple,        .    192 

Hadji, 221 

Holy  Laud,  .  .  .  .229 
Health  of  Egypt,  ...       230 


IXDEX   OF   SUBJECTS. 


Houk,  .         . 

Heliopolis, 
Hemp,  smoking, 
Hospitals, 
Habits, 

Handsome  Men, 
Homceopathists, 
Hasheesh, 


PAGE 

257 
257 
311 

316 
335 
346 
357 
359 


I. 


Inhabitants  of  Cairo,        .        •      69 
Impressment,  for  Army  and  Navy, 

85 

Infantile  Diseases,        .       •  87 

Impostors, 163 

Illumination,         .        •        •  228 

Inter  mittents,    ....  ^oo 

Insanity,        ,       .        .        .  363 


J. 

Joseph's  Well,   . 
Jewels,  Love  of  them, 
"      on  Mummies, 
Jackals,  at  Thebes, 
Jupiter  Olympus, 
Jugglery, 
Jasper  Pebbles, . 


K. 


Karnak, 

Kom  Ombus,     . 

Keneh,    . 

Kadi,  .... 

Krn.ls,     . 

Kemenger, 

Khideewee,    . 

Kindness  to  Animals, 

li. 

Levantines,    ....  83 

Luggage, 34 


.      67 

1G8 

.    200 

203,  222 

.       .    207 

233 

.    263 

166,  203,  206 

.       .    186 

.       149, 209 

.    323 

.       .        268 

,    306 

322 


Lake  Mareotis,      . 
Locks  of  the  Canal,  . 
Laborers  on  the  Bridge, 
Lanterns,   .... 
Labor,  low,    . 
Lepsius,  Dr.,     . 
Land  Level,  raised. 
Looking  through  Stone,   . 
Lizards, 

"      shot, 
Luxor,    .        .        .        ■ 
Legs  for  Sale,     . 
Living  in  Tombs,  . 
Lying-in  Room, 
Lime-burning, 
Legerdemain, 
Language,  how  to  acquire. 
Life,  Mercantile, 
Laws,      .... 
Love  of  Children, 
Life  in  the  Harem, 


332 


PAGE 

39 
.      40 

63 
.      73 

79 

82,  215 

125 

.    141 

154 
.    165 

166 

.    200 

.        202 

.    207 

211 
.    228 

270 
.    317 

321 
.    342 

347 


M. 
Malta,  its  Appearance,    .       4,  5,  7 
Mosques,  when  open,    .        •  22 

Murder, 326 

Mahmoodeeh  Canal,    .        .  39 

^lanui'e,  manufactured,   .        .      40 

Mud  Machines,      ...  41 

Mechanics,  Postures,        .        .      26 

"         herd  together,    .         69 

"         rise  early,      .       .      74 

Municipal  Laws,   ...  69 

Mounds,  for  Tillages,       .        .      44 

Mameluke  Bey's  Escape,     .      9  70 

Mohammed  Ali,        .        .      70,  381 

"  his  Remains,         71 

"  Death  regretted,  170 

Money,  Love  of,    .       .       .  78 

Maiming,  how  stopped,    .       .      85 


IXDEX    OF    SUBJECTS. 


XI 


Medical  School,  ...  88 
Mortality,  uncertain,  .  .  87 
Mud,  falling,  .  .  .  .113 
Musicians,     .       .       .       115,  150 

Minieh, 126 

Moses,  Birthplace  of,  .  .  170 
Mummy-cloth,  .  .  .  .199 
Massive  Shells,  ...  201 
Manufactoiy  of  Saltpetre,  .  208 
Mohammed  Bey,  ...        218 

Memphis, 231 

Museum  of  Dr.  Abbott,  .  242 
Malek  Adel's  Tomb,  .  .  258 
Musical  Instruments,  .  .  305 
Mortar  Carriers,  .  .  .  329 
Mother's  Love,     ...        329 

Moristan, 361 

Mysteries  of  the  Pyramids,  .       369 

N. 

Nights  in  Cities, 

Night-watch  in  Alexandria, 

Nile,  below  Cairo,     . 
"    near  the  First  Cataract, 

Nights,  dull,      .... 
"        cold, 
"        guard,  .       .       •     124, 

Native  Doctor, 

Negade,      

National  Prosperity,  how  pro- 
moted,       .... 

Nose-jewel,        .... 

Nude  Laborers, 

Name  of  a  Child,      . 

Necklace  of  Menes, 

Nay  Player,   .... 


24 

28 

51 

173 

72 

114 

204 

128 

163 

165 
168 
189 
225 
251 
307 


O. 

Ophthalmia  in  Egypt,       .      9,  350 
•'         causes,       .       .    9, 85 


PIGB 

Ophthalmia,  Treatment,  .       .  351 

One-eyed  People,  ...  50 

Ovens, 75 

Obliterated  Sculptures,  .  157 
Obelisk  at  Luxor,      .       .       .166 

Ornaments  on  Stones,  .       .  166 

Ombus, 173 

Osirei's  Tomb,      ...  198 

Orsirtasen,        ....  257 

Obelisk  of  Heliopolis,   .       .  258 

Owl, 264 

Onion,  Site  of,       .       .       .  265 

P. 

Passports,  on  leaving  Naples,  3 
Preparations  for  entering  Egypt,  10 
Postroffices,  Alexandria,  .  .  23 
Palace  at  Alexandria,  .  .  26 
Police  Court  at  do.,  .  .  27, 324 
Preparations  for  the  Nile,  .  34 
Prayer,  Attitudes  of,  .  .  46 
Ploughs,         ....  56 

Pharaoh's  Dream,  ...  57 
Pyramids,  .  .  .68,  91,  365 
"  Entrance  into,  .  367 
Punishment  of  Government 

Laborers,    ....  63 

Preparation  for  the  Mosque,  .  66 
Police  Sentinels,  Caii-o,  .  72 
Population,  ....  72 
Palace,  now  building,  .       .79 

"  of  Mohammed  Ali,  Cairo,  80 
Physicians,  ....  88 
Pole-star,  4000  Years  ago,  .  93 
Pelicans,    ....  119,  210 

Patient, 127 

Priest,  Mohammedan,  .  .  142 
Pigeon-manure,  .  .  .  145 
Planisphere,  ....  156 
Pudding,        .       .       .       .       173 


XII 


INDEX   OF    SUBJECTS. 


Paintings  in  Tombs, 
Prosperous  Arab,  . 
Pottery, 
Panopolis, 

Plague,  Theory  of,    . 
PjTamids  of  Sand, 
Punishments,  Capital, 
Palace,  building,  . 
Polygamy,       ^  ,     ^  . 
Pillars  in  Tombs,  • 
Prescription, 
Physicians,  Italian, 

Q. 

Quarantine  Officers  at  Malta, 
Quarries  of  Silsilis, 


PAGE 

195 
201 
209 
211 
255 
268 
326 
828 
342 
215 
349 
355 


5 
190 


R. 

Route  to  Egypt  or  Syria, 
"     by  Tvay  of  Marseilles, 
"      through  Germany, 
"     from  Naples, 

Rainy  Season  in  Palestine, 

Regularity  of  Life,  . 

Roman  Catholic  Church, 

Reservoirs,  for  Irrigation 

Riding,  universal. 

Registration  of  Deaths, 

Reading  a  Contract, 

Rain  in  Upper  Egypt, 

Rafts  of  Earthen  Pots, 

Reliefs  in  Tombs, 

Ring  of  Cheops,     .       .       200 

Ruins  of  Thebes, 

Rest,  no  Day  of,    . 

Reis,  his  Conduct,     . 

Rhoda,  Island  of,  . 

Ramescs  II.,  Statue  of. 

Rights  of  Property, 

Riding  on  Camels,    . 


9 

23 

52 

76 

87 

150 

157 

161 

199 

250 

202 

210 

213 

232 

239 

241 

256 


PAGE 

Rope,  Buying,       .       .       .  260 

Rope-making,    ....  270 

Rmgs,  Signets,     ...  312 

Religion, 330 

Roads, 363 

Ruins, 363 

Revenue,  Public,  .       .       .  377 

S. 

Steamboats  to  Malta,       .       .  2 
Sickness,  not  to  be  apprehended,    9 

Sabbaths  in  Egypt,  ...  22 

Slave-market,  Alexandria,  .  25 

Soldiers  in  Alexandria,    .       .  28 

Sais,  Site  of,  ...       .  43 

Sailors  on  the  Nile,  ...  49 

Streets,  one  Tvide  one,  .       .  68 

"      crooked,       ...  75 

Shoes,  for  Horses,         .       .  77 

Saddles,      .        •       ...  78 

Stone  of  the  Pyramids,        .  81 

Sphinx, 89 

Sandstone  Pyramids  in  the  Des- 
ert,        .       .       .       .  118 

Shadoofs, 116 

Sunset,  glorious,  .       .       .  59, 121 
Sugar-making,  .        .   127,  146 

Shittim--wood,        .       .       .  146 

Saws, 146 

Sculptures  on  Temples,        .  156 

Stai-s,  Brilliancy  of,          .        .  171 

Swallowing  Pudding,    .       .  173 

Sculptured  Stones,    .       .       .  187 

Serpent's  Skin,     .       .       .  189 
Saltpetre  Works,       .       .       .192 

Sarcophagi,    ....  199 

Sphinxes  at  Karnak,        .       .  203 

Snakes  in  Houses,        .       .  205 

Shoobra, 232 

Sakkara,        ....  234 


INDEX   OF   SCBJECTS. 


xin 


PAGE 

Sakkara,  Pyramids  of,     .        .  235 

Skulls, 237 

Snails  in  the  Desert,         .       .  264 

Street  SiBging,      .        .        .  310 

Schools, 318 

Science, 31G 

Small  Pox 853 

Sodomy,  ....  354 

Surgery, 354 

Smoking,        .  _     .        •        .  358 

Sculptures  on  Temples,    .       .  373 

Symbolical  Literature,         .  374 

Said  Pasha,       ....  379 

T. 

Theatre  at  Alexandria,         .  25 

Tombs  of  Sheiks,  ...  45 
Teeth,  purposely  drawn,  .  50 
Tattooed  Females,  ...  52 
Tubes  in  the  "Walls  of  Mosques,     67 

Taxes, 47,  79 

Telegraphs,  ....  79 
Thebes,  .  .  .  164,  166,  194 
Time,  of  no  Account  on  the  Nile,  169 


Tombs,  Ancient,    . 

.       171 

Truths  regarding  Morals, 

.    188 

Taxes  of  a  Sailor, 

189 

Tempering  Copper,  . 

.    191 

Tombs  at  Thebes,  . 

194 

"      of  Beni  Hassan,     . 

.    214 

"      of  Mamelukes,  . 

226 

Taxes,  Flogged  for,  . 

240,  328 

TelBasta,      . 

.        258 

Twine-making,  . 

.    270 

Tambourine,  . 

305 

Trial  of  a  Wife, 

.    325 

Transportation  of  Statue, 

.       201 

Tomb  of  Cheops, 

.    370 

Ties  of  Wood,  .      . 

.        372 

U. 

Upset  Boat, 

.     42 

V. 

Vultures,    .       .       .       . 

Village  Festivity,  . 

Vaulted  Tomb,  . 

Vocal  Memnon, 

Village,  Depopulation  of. 

Vermin, 

Veils,         .       .       .       . 

W. 

Way  to  Cairo, 
Water,  for  drinking. 
Water-raising,  by  Oxen, 
Water,  in  Mosques,  . 
Weavers, 

Wading  in  a  Canal,  . 
Washing  Infants,  . 
Washing-day,    . 
Wood,  scarce. 
Wives,  purchased,    . 
Women,  carry  Water,  . 
Wharf,  Roman, 
Workmen  of  the  Tombs, 
Weaving,  Ancient,    . 
Wife,  buying, 
Woman  at  Prayer,    . 

"      numbers,  . 
Wedding,    .       .       .       , 
Wood,  Petrified,    . 
Willoughby,  Col.,     . 
Water,  boring  for. 
Way  through  the  Desert, 
Writing, 

Whip,  a  Badge  of  Office, 
Wives,    .... 
Widows  of  Mohammed,    , 
Women,  wailing,  . 
WaUs  of  Temples,     . 


PAGE 

120 
161 

198 
201 
220 
259 
S3,  259 


Z. 


Zumarah, 


47 


PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT 


<»ORT   OF  DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  EAST. 

If  it  is  the  intention  of  the  tourist  to  enter  Egypt  or  Syria, 
the  point  to  sail  from  is  Naples.  A  steamer  may  be  taken, 
on  the  third  and  twentieth  of  each  month,  at  Southampton, 
which  goes  from  England  to  Alexandria,  calling  at  Gib- 
raltar and  Malta,  —  constituting  the  overland  line  to  India. 
The  vessels  are  staunch,  well  found,  and  safe  conveyances; 
but  their  route  is  a  rough,  tedious  way,  and  far  more  expensive 
than  it  should  be,  besides  being  a  monotonous  one. 

Taking  the  other  or  inland  course,  by  first  going  to  France, 
and  finally  sailing  from  Marseilles  or  Naples,  some  useful 
experience  is  acquired ;  and,  separately  from  the  gratification 
afforded  by  the  contemplation  of  the  works  of  art  in  that  direc- 
tion, there  is  actual  economy  in  it.  The  only  reason  why  the 
cost  would  be  more  by  land  than  by  sea  would  be  through  the 
filchings  of  American  consuls,  for  a  vise  of  a  passport. 

COST  OF  A  VOYAGE  FROM  ENGLAND  TO  EGYPT. 

It  is  precisely  as  much  as  the  traveller  chooses  to  make 
it.     Under  a  rigid   system   of  financiering,  the  expense  will 
invariably  exceed  the  original  intention,  and,  perhaps,  the  trav- 
eller's expectations.     Sometimes  more  is  desired  for  a  certain 
1 


2  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

amount  of  money  than  is  realized ;  and,  again,  occasionally, 
more  obtained  than  in  strict  justice  should  have  been  given. 
One  thousand  dollars  is  not  too  much  to  have  at  command  for 
six  months  in  the  East. 

THROUGH   GERJIANY, 

By  the  Danube  to  Constantinople,  is  another  route,  occasion- 
ally taken  by  persons  with  whom  time  is  of  no  account. 

FROM  MARSEILLES  OR  NAPLES.    '• 

If  the  traveller  is  indifferent  in  regard  to  Italy,  and  has  no 
particular  wish  to  go  to  Rome  or  Naples,  he  can  take  a  boat 
for  Malta  from  Marseilles,  or  sail  directly  to  Corfu,  the  capital 
of  the  Ionian  Islands,  by  way  of  Malta ;  or,  on  arriving  at 
Malta,  take  a  steamer  for  Alexandria.  From  England  to  Mar- 
seilles, even  in  pursuing  a  proper  economy,  v/ill  cost  all  of 
fifty-two  dollars ;  and  it  may  exceed  that  sum. 

A  French  steamboat  runs  from  Marseilles  to  Malta  on  the 
ninth  of  each  month.  The  fare  of  a  first-class  passenger — that 
is,  an  occupant  of  the  first  and  best  cabin — is  forty-five  dollars, 
to  which  between  two  and  three  more  may  be  added,  for 
unforeseen  contingencies.  In  the  second  cabin  the  expense  is 
twenty-five  dollars,  not  including  meals. 

At  the  close  of  the  third  day,  or  early  on  the  fourth,  the 
boat  ordinarily  arrives  at  Malta  from  Naples.  By  this  route,  it 
passes  through  the  Straits  of  Messina,  affording  a  charming 
view  of  the  ancient  city  of  Messina,  and  the  coast  and  moun- 
tains of  one  part  of  the  beautiful  island  of  Sicily.  The  volca- 
noes of  Etna  and  Stromboli  may  also  be  seen  advantageously. 

French  steamboats  are  proverbially  superior  to  the  English, 
on  account  of  the  obliging  character  of  the  officers,  on  all  the 


ROUTE   THROUGH    NAPLES.  8 

lines  running  to  Malta.  There  are  other  substantial  reasons  ; 
the  food  is  of  a  better  quality,  and  served  with  regularity.  As 
the  days  of  sailing  vary  from  one  year  to  another,  and  new 
competing  lines  may  rise  into  existence,  it  is  rather  difficult  to 
determine  precisely  the  day  that  a  boat  may  depart.  It  is 
quite  certain  that  a  passage  to  Malta  or  Alexandria  may  be 
found  readily  from  Marseilles. 

FROM    NAPLES. 

That,  on  the  whole,  is  the  preferable  place  of  departure. 
The  boats  are  usually  good,  but  the  process  to  be  passed 
through  before  it  is  possible  to  fairly  get  on  board  is  vexatious 
in  the  extreme,  and  wholly  arises  from  the  jealousy  of  a 
despotic  government,  that  watches  every  traveller,  however 
peaceable  or  well-disposed,  as  vigilantly  as  though  he  were  a 
desperado,  or  a  military  conqueror  in  disguise,  who  only  sought 
an  opportunity  to  subvert  the  empire,  and  victimize  the  royal 
family. 

A  passage  cannot  even  be  secured  in  a  steamer,  till  the  trav- 
eller presents  his  passport  at  the  ticket-office,  properly  signed 
and  sealed  by  the  consul  of  the  United  States,  who  shamefully 
takes  two  dollars  for  the  vise.  Unless  that  is  done,  the  local 
police-office  will  not  give  the  applicant  liberty  to  leave  the 
city.  There  is  evidently  a  proper  understanding  between  all 
these  officers,  by  which  they  sponge  as  much  as  possible  out 
of  all  who  fall  within  their  lair.  After  obtaining  all  the  signa- 
tures, and  paying  all  the  charges,  if  the  agent  of  the  boat  sees 
no  rebellion  in  the  looks  of  the  applicant,  and  no  one  objects  to 
his  exit  from  the  city,  he  then  goes  to  the  pier,  with  the  lug- 
gage. Lastly,  he  must  enter  the  health-office  there,  have  all 
his  papers  reexamined,  another  vise  added,  a  little  money 
assessed,  and  permission  is  given  to  step  into  a  row-boat ;  but 


4  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

there  a  sturdy,  impudent  fellow  insists  upon  having  a  fee,  for 
he  is  a  police  guard,  and  becomes  eloquent  about  his  dues,  his 
rights,  &c.  There  is  no  obligation  resting  on  the  afflicted 
traveller  to  pay  him  a  single  farthing ;  and  he  is  at  liberty  to 
cane  the  boatmen^  —  sometimes  in  collusion  with  them,  —  if 
they  hesitate  to  push  off  for  the  steamer,  lying  at  anchor. 

The  passport  is  retained  at  the  health-office,  where  all  the 
particulars  are  transcribed  into  a  series  of  large  folios,  and  a 
set  of  burly,  consequential,  cut-throat  looking  menials  of  the 
crown,  are  supported  out  of  the  purses  of  strangers,  A  more 
provoking  and  useless  series  of  forms  could  not  be  devised,  to 
excite  the  contempt  and  hatred  of  both  natives  and  foreigners, 
than  are  now  practised  in  Naples.  It  is  not  strange  that  the 
people  are  restive  under  a  yoke  that  is  constantly  becoming 
more  oppressive. 

MALTA. 

On  reaching  Malta,  if  the  boat  is  compelled  to  go  into  quar- 
antine, the  detention  and  expenses  incident  to  the  execrable 
condition  to  which  the  voyager  is  suddenly  reduced  call  forth 
a  flood  of  useless  indignation.  Like  all  the  health  regulations 
on  the  Mediterranean,  whether  in  France,  Egypt,  Syria,  Tur- 
key, or  Greece,  they  have  in  view  a  direct  revenue  from  strang- 
ers, under  the  specious  pretence  of  guarding  the  public  against 
the  introduction  of  infectious  diseases.  It  is  an  unrighteous 
and  intolerable  imposition,  that  ought  not  to  be  tolerated ;  and 
enlightened  governments  should  negotiate  with  reference  to 
breaking  up  a  barrier  to  free  commercial  intercourse  based  on 
such  very  unphilosophical  principles,  if  the  powers  enforcing 
them  were  honest  in  doing  so.  If  there  is  any  one  act 
demanded  of  the  only  two  free  and  truly  civilized  countries  on 
earth.  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  in  their  combined 


QUARANTINE   REGULATIONS.  0 

capacity,  it  should  be  to  put  forth  a  declaration  of  uncompromis- 
ing hostility  to  the  disgraceful  system  of  quarantine  regulations 
now  in  operation  at  every  port  on  that  sea.  Even  on  land,  by 
enforcing  the  same  abominable  measures  for  extracting  money, 
a  solitary  traveller  on  a  camel,  crossing  the  lonely  desert  of 
Arabia,  is  compelled  to  pass  five  days  on  a  sand-hill,  before 
he  is  allowed  to  proceed. 

More  than  half  the  rigorous  quarantines  of  Italy,  and  through- 
out the  Turkish  empire,  are  maintained  in  their  present  dis- 
graceful form  through  the  trickery  of  subtle  Italian  physicians, 
who  would  depopulate  the  world  if  they  could  gain  a  profitable 
salary  for  whatever  they  might  do  towards  it.  On  most  of  the 
stations  they  are  meddling,  ignorant,  double-faced  men,  who 
are  apparently  resolved  to  ruin  commercial  relations,  and  limit 
the  intercourse  of  foreign  states  to  their  individual  permission. 

Whoever  is  obliged  to  abide  a  quarantine,  although  strictly 
a  prisoner,  guarded  more  closely  than  felons  are  watched,  must 
support  himself,  and  pay  the  person  who  furnishes  supplies  — 
usually  a  hotel-keeper  at  Malta,  Alexandria,  Beyroot,  Smyrna, 
and  the  Piraeus  in  Greece  —  whatever  he  pleases  to  charge. 
Not  a  chair,  table,  candle,  or  a  single  necessary  convenience,  is 
furnished  by  the  government.  There  is  a  room,  —  miserable, 
and  generally  filthy,  —  into  which  we  are  ushered ;  and  on  the 
day  of  pratique,  the  room-rent  is  an  enormous  charge.  The 
real  and  true  object  contemplated  is  to  be  paid  before  being 
liberated.  At  nearly  all  those  black  holes,  there  is  a  distinct 
sum  assessed  for  the  physician  of  the  establishment,  who  is 
rarely  ever  seen ;  and,  lastly,  the  guard,  whose  board  is  put 
into  the  bill,  with  a  specific  amount  of  wages  by  the  day 
besides,  has  the  impudence  to  ask  for  a  present  I  There  are 
all  kinds  of  ragged  attendants,  like  vermin,  to  suck  the 
blood  of  the  incarcerated  stranger,  who  put  in  their  claims  for 
1* 


6  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 

compensation  at  the  moment  of  making  a  final  exit.  In  short, 
it  is  a  legal  mode  of  committing  a  robbery. 

Contrary  to  the  expectations  raised  by  geographers,  Malta 
is  a  massive  strip  of  terra  firma,  stretching  out  full  ten  miles 
to  the  west  of  the  ordinary  landing  at  Valetta,  the  capital  and 
focus  of  business,  and  not  a  small  piece  of  rock,  as  has  been 
represented,  covered  with  soil  brought  from  a  distance.  There 
is  nothing  like  it  on  the  globe,  in  respect  to  batteries,  fortifica- 
tions and  guns,  with  their  open  mouths  directly  towards  the 
shipping.  The  town  is  pleasant,  well  built,  the  houses  high, 
and  the  streets  clean,  but  rather  narrow.  They  are  up  hill 
and  down,  in'  various  directions ;  those  towards  the  harbor 
being  lined  with  shops,  and  pedlers  of  fruit,  —  cheap  and  good, 

—  and  priests,  Eoman  Catholic  processions  of  a  showy  charac- 
ter, and  other  sights  that  are  peculiar  to  that  island. 

Wlien  we  came  into  port,  a  physician  —  an  Italian,  of  course 

—  came  alongside  in  a  yawl,  and  demanded  the  bill  of  health 
from  Naples.  A  tin  box  was  handed  up,  into  which  it  was 
placed,  and  returned.  With  an  extraordinary  show  of  precau- 
tion, the  paper  was  taken  out  with  brass  tongs,  read  over  with 
an  air  of  concern,  and,  being  found  technically  clean,  away  he 
went  with  it  on  shore.  Malta  had  been  awfully  smitten  by 
cholera  just  before  our  arrival,  and  no  worse  sickness  than 
that  they  already  suffered  could  be  introduced.  On  returning, 
free  consent  was  given  to  land  forthwith,  which  probably  grew 
out  of  the  fact  that  it  would  be  too  glaring  to  quarantine  a 
vessel  in  perfect  health,  and  in  that  way  absolutely  expose  the 
passengers  to  the  hazard  of  contracting  disease. 

Everybody  appeared  delighted  with  this  good  luck,  and 
especially  the  taverners,  as  it  was  the  very  first  arrival  for 
a  considerable  time,  —  all  commerce  being  interrupted,  no 
ship  daring  to  touch  while   the  malady  was  raging.     Never 


MALTA.  7 

had  I  seen  such  a  rabble  as  encircled  us,  before ;  screaming  and 
hallooing  in  Arabic,  English,  French,  Italian,  and  a  mbted 
dialect,  —  a  compound,  perhaps,  of  all  the  others.  They  all 
wanted  us  to  jump  into  their  boats,  and  quarrelled  fearfully 
among  themselves  for  the  possession  of  a  customer.  On  land- 
ing at  the  foot  of  a  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the  entrance-gate, 
we  were  met  by  an  army  of  porters,  vociferous  beyond  endur- 
ance for  the  privilege  of  backing  the  trunks  up  a  long  flight  of 
stone  steps  to  the  esplanade,  where  some  of  the  hotels  are 
located. 

Although  Malta  is  English  property,  and  under  the  military 
control  of  a  governor  sent  out  by  the  British  government,  the 
Italian  interest  seems  to  prevail.  It  is  an  insufferably  bigoted 
place,  and  all  that  could  be  ascertained  of  the-  dominant  reli- 
gious feelings  disposed  us  to  believe  that  a  very  large  number 
of  the  priesthood  would  rejoice  in  the  establishment  of  the 
inquisition.  The  churches — as  in  all  purely  Catholic  countries 
—  seem  to  be  in  perpetual  requisition ;  women  —  constituting 
three-fourths,  if  not  more,  of  the  worshippers — were  constantly 
going  in  and  out. 

St.  Paul's  Bay,  where  tradition  says  the  apostle  shook  the 
serpent  from  his  wrist,  is  about  nine  miles  from  Valetta.  The 
roads  are  good,  and  the  ride  a  pleasant-  one,  on  horseback  or 
by  carriage.  It  is  questionable  whether  St.  Paul  ever  saw  the 
island.  Evidences  of  the  ancient  occupancy  of  Malta  by  a 
race,  and  perhaps  a  succession  of  races,  at  a  very  remote 
epoch,  are  numerous.  Mr.  Winthrop,  the  American  consul, 
has  made  researches  that  have  already  created  a  sensation 
among  archaeologists.  How  the  ancient  inhabitants  found  the 
island,  in  what  age  of  the  world,  or  what  became  of  the  build- 
ers of  the  catacombs,  remains  open  for  discussion.  There  are 
two  hospitals,  reading-rooms,  a  show  palace  of  the  grand  mas- 


8  A   PILGRIMAGE  TO   EGYPT. 

ter  of  the  expelled  knights,  a  very  formidable  garrison,  offi- 
cers in  abundance,  balls,  amateur  theatricals,  concerts,  band- 
serenades,  and  other  amusements. 

The  carriages  usually  seen  in  the  streets  are  the  7ie  plus 
ultra  of  awkwardness.  They  are  huge  one-horse  chaises,  the 
thills  being  a  third  too  long,  with  the  ends  fastened  nearly  on 
a  level  with  the  horse's  back.  A  driver  leads  the  animal  by 
the  bit,  or  walks  by  his  side,  guiding  him  by  long  reins.  In 
that  manner  ladies  take  an  airing. 

Sunday  is  observed  very  much  as  in  the  Catholic  countries 
of  Europe ;  the  shops,  markets,  &c.,  being  open  as  usual,  and 
pedlers  and  hawkers  crying  their  wares.  At  noon,  a  little 
more  reserve  is  manifested  than  in  Rome.  An  English  influ- 
ence seems  to  reign  in  the  afternoon. 

PERIOD  FOR  VISITING  EGYPT. 

On  no  account  presume  to  enter  Egypt  in  the  summer. 
From  the  latter  part  of  October  to  the  first  of  January  is  a 
decidedly  favorable  period.  The  weather  is  not  hot  beyond 
endurance  within  that  range  of  time ;  cool  breezes  from  the 
north  blow  up  the  Nile,  and  if  a  design  is  entertained  of  ascend- 
ing that  river,  relianc^  can  be  placed  on  a  daily  trade-wind, 
that  rarely  fails,  for  more  than  a  single  day,  to  exert  its  force  in 
that  direction,  south,  for  several  months  in  succession.  With 
the  return  of  spring,  the  wind  shifts,  and  blows  from  the  south, 
with  equal  certainty.  If  the  route  is  taken  from  the  north, 
and  the  traveller  first  explores  Syria  before  arriving  in  Egypt, 
—  which,  on  the  whole,  is  the  preferable  way,  —  he  should 
reach  Constantinople  or  Beyroot  about  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber, which  will  allow  sufficient  opportunity  for  a  jaunt  through 
Palestine,  —  reaching  Cairo  by  the  way  of  Ramlah,  through 


HEALTH   OP   EGYPC.  9 

the  desert.  In  commencing  a  line  of  travel  at  this  point,  the 
explorations  would  be  completed  before  the  annual  rains  set  in, 
which  are  violent,  cold,  and  uncomfortable  to  endure.  The 
streams  are  frequently  swollen  so  that  they  cannot  be  forded 
with  safety,  at  that  season.  As  it  rarely  rains  in  Egypt, 
above  Alexandria,  in  the  winter,  no  interruptions  by  bad 
weather  are  to  be  anticipated. 

On  the  other  hand,  if,  after  finishing  a  tour  in  Egypt, 
the  traveller  arrive  in  the  midst  of  the  rains  at  Jerusalem, 
there  must  necessarily  be  a  loss  of  time  by  delays  for  clear 
sky,  a  larger  bill  of  expenses  for  an  outfit,  and  a  higher  rate 
would  be  demanded  for  the  use  of  horses  or  camels. 

No  apprehension  need  be  indulged  with  reference  to  the 
prevalence  of  diseases.  If  plague  is  not  developed,  there  is  no 
fear  whatever  from  the  existence  of  other  maladies,  which  are 
not  essentially  different  from  those  of  temperate  Europe,  or  the 
northern  United  States  of  America.  Egypt  is  ordinarily  as 
free  from  infectious  distempers  as  the  most  favored  towns  of 
New  England.  Fevers,  rheumatism,  and  slight  cutaneous 
eruptions,  are  found  in  about  the  same  ratio.  Ophthalmia,  the 
most  to  be  dreaded  of  all  the  Nilotic  disorders,  is  unquestionably 
produced,  sporadically,  through  the  neglect  and  excessive  filthy 
habits  of  those  who  are  the  greatest  sufferers  by  it.  A  want 
of  personal  cleanliness  invites  the  activity  of  flies,  which,  in 
a  majority  of  cases  that  came  under  my  observation,  had  been 
the  medium  of  propagating  the  painful  affection  from  one  to 
another. 

The  common  custom  of  eating,  sleeping,  and  dressing  each 
returning  morning,  as  practised  at  home,  should  not  be  departed 
from  ;  but  regularity,  simplicity  of  diet,  and  an  unruffled  tem- 
per, are  pillars  that  will  sustain  a  traveller,  in  ordinary  health, 
through  all  the  varying  scenes  of  climate  to  be  encountered 


10  A   PitGRIMAGE   TO   KGYFi. 

throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Egypt  and  Asia  Minor. 
If  a  person  happen  to  be  slightly  indisposed,  he  should  not 
instantly  resort  to  medicine.  Should  a  dysenteric  attack  result 
from  a  too  free  indulgence  of  rich  fruits  on  first  arriving,  a 
timely  dose  of  pulverized  rhubarb  —  from  five  to  ten  grains  — 
may  subdue  it. 

Trusting  to  the  recuperative  efforts  of  nature  in  Egypt, 
unless  there  should  be  an  uncommon  manifestation  of  disturb- 
ance in  the  system,  is  far  preferable  to  weakening  one's  powers 
suddenly,  in  a  debilitating  atmosphere,  by  depleting  articles. 
Eat  and  drink  precisely  as  you  have  been  accustomed,  and  give 
yourself  neither  thought  nor  concern  about  w^hat  is  safe  and 
proper  in  dietetics,  —  since  a  restless,  nervous  anxiety  gener- 
ates ails,  without  a  corresponding  power  to  control  them. 

Carry  neither  provisions,  wines,  nor  confectionary;  nor, 
indeed,  should  the  traveller  burden  himself  unnecessarily  with 
any  luggage  not  positively  necessary.  Frequent  changes  of 
linen  are  conducive  to  stability  of  health ;  and  any  neglect  of 
that  kind  will  be  severely  visited  on  the  delinquent,  in  some 
parts  of  Egypt,  by  the  annoyance  of  vermin. 

We  arrived  at  Alexandria  on  the  first  day  of  November, 
from  Malta,  when  the  cholera  had  begun  to  wane  ;  yet  strang- 
ers were  greatly  in  fear  of  its  pestilential  'influence.  No 
regard  was  paid  to  it,  whatever,  by  us.  My  habits  of  life  being 
regular  and  temperate,  —  neither  using  spirit  or  tobacco,  —  no 
apprehensions  were  entertained.  My  course  was  marked  out 
methodically,  for  an  extensive  exploration  of  the  architectural 
antiquities  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  and  my  health  was  perfectly- 
good  while  I  remained.  At  the  expiration  of  three  months, 
living  on  the  ordinary  food  and  fruits  of  the  country,  my 
condition  was  excellent. 


AliEXANDBIA. 


u 


ALEXANDRIA. 


On  the  first  day  of  November,  1850,  we  came  into  the  port 
of  this  very  ancient  city.  The  run  from  Malta  was  tolerably 
pleasant,  and  the  incidents  few.  One  day  a  little  owl  made 
its  appearance   in  the   rigging,  when   the  nearest  land  was 


N.  Lat.  310  13'. 


ALEXANDRIA. 

E.  Long.  25^  53'.    Was  founded  332  years  before  Christ. 


presumed  to  be  some  hundred  miles.  From  Naples  to  Malta, 
the  Mediterranean  was  in  such  commotion,  that  a  perpetual  sea- 
sickness was  induced  ;  but  the  nine  hundred  miles  from  Malta 
to  Alexandria  was  a  j^mfortable  voyage.  Squalls  come  up 
suddenly  on  that  sea,  and  rage  terrifically,  later  in  the  season. 


12  A   PILQRIMAGK   TO   EGYPT, 

A  November  sun  is  intensely  hot  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  on 
deck,  the  whole  of  the  way.  Acid  fruits,  particularly  oranges 
and  pomegranates  are  grateful,  and  were  abundantly  served  to 
the  passengers. 

The  board  is  a  distinct  charge  in  the  Mediterranean  steam- 
ers, while  the  passage  is  another,  and  the  serA'ice  of  each  and 
all  the  waiters  still  another.  It  is,  therefore,  more  expensive 
travelling  in  any  line  of  steamboats  on  the  Mediterranean  than 
by  the  same  conveyances  either  in  England  or  America. 

Early  in  the  evening  of  the  day  before  going  up  to  the 
anchorage  ground,  the  light  was  discovered,  —  about  the  only 
one  that  side  of  a  vast  length  of  coast,  from  Egypt  to  the  Black 
Sea.  The  water  being  rather  shallow,  and  a  mass  of  loose 
rocks  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  narrow  channel,  we  laid  off 
and  on,  outside,  till  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning.  As 
we  neared  the  land,  a  light  row-boat  played  about  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, within  hailing  distance,  with  a  crew  of  Arab  pilots. 
The  red  caps  worn  by  some,  the  turbans  by  others,  with  the 
peculiar  costume  of  the  country,  now  for  the  first  time  seen, 
were  objects  of  special  interest  and  amusement. 

As  the  pilot  did  not  attempt  coming  on  board,  it  was  rightly 
surmised  we  were  threatened  with  a  quarantine  detention,  at 
the  worse  than  stable  accommodations  of  the  lazaretto.  When 
the  anchor  fell  in  the  beautiful  basin,  some  of  the  finest 
ships-of-war  afloat,  belonging  to  the  Egyptian  government, 
fully  manned  and  equipped,  were  by  our  side.  1  have  since 
been  in  very  many  of  the  harbors  under  the  control  of  the 
Turks,  but  none  of  them  equal  this.  Near  the  margin  of  the 
spacious  basin,  facing  towards  the  sea,  at  the  extremity  of  a 
point  of  land,  is  a  tall,  well-constructed  light-house.  Close  to 
the  water's  edge,  looking  immediately  towards  the  harbor,  is 
the  palace  of  the  late  Mohammed  Ali ;  a  little  west  of  it,  on  an 


ALEXAMDBIA.  13 

elevation,  the  harem  of  his  late  terrible  highness,  which  is  a 
large  wooden  structure,  painted  white,  of  two  stories.  The 
upper,  being  expressly  the  residence  of  the  ladies,  has  latticed 
windows.  Those  within  can  peep  out,  while  those  without 
cannot  peep  in.  The  gardens  and  grounds  are  kept  in  a  toler- 
ably verdant  state,  by  constant  irrigation.  A  mighty  rabble  of 
boatmen,  in  all  imaginable  garments,  white,  red  and  blue,  — 
all  smoking,  —  kept  up  a  deafening  shout  in  Italian  and 
Arabic,  to  engage  passengers  for  the  shore. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  yellow  flag  had  been  hoisted  at  the  end 
of  the  bowsprit,  and  we  were  hard  and  fast  in  quarantine.  An 
Italian  physician  took  the  certificate  of  health  with  tongs,  pre- 
cisely as  it  was  done  at  Malta,  and  soon  after  pushed  for  the 
landing.  Word  was  speedily  brought  that  a  detention  of  five 
days  had  been  decreed.  Tabooed  as  we  were,  with  little  or  no 
provision  on  board,  a  feeling  of  indignation  was  at  once  exhibited 
in  every  countenance.  Every  one  was  in  health,  and  yet,  for- 
sooth, the  doctor  was  for  rigorously  enforcing  his  orders,  because 
we  had  touched  at  Malta  !  Notes  were  addressed  to  the  dif- 
ferent consuls,  and  there  were  merchants  and  others  sufficiently 
interested  in  the  cargo  and  those  confined  to  the  boat  to  make 
a  loud  demand  at  the  pratique  office  for  the  liberation  of  the 
steamer.  The  rascally  Italian  fought,  against  all  remonstrances, 
for  the  maintenance  of  his  official  authority;  while  it  was 
argued  that  nothing  could  be  more  ridiculously  absurd,  as  the 
cholera  was  in  the  city,  and  those  who  had  just  arrived  must 
be  endangered  by  it,  while  the  inhabitants  could  have  nothing 
to  apprehend  from  well  men.  The  doctor  was  eventually 
overpowered ;  and  the  next  day,  at  noon,  after  a  useless  deten- 
tion of  one  day  and  one  night,  we  were  liberated.  A  rapid 
sputtering  about  Abbas  Pasha  was  often  recognized.  Perhaps 
the  mischief-making  doctor  might  have  threatened  the  dis- 
2 


14  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

pleasure  of  his  fat  master,  or  was  disappointed  at  not  pocketing 
a  fee  for  letting  us  out  of  durance ;  for  I  subsequently  learned 
that  any  favor  could  be  purchased  in  Egypt,  from  the  viceroy 
down  to  a  camel-driver.  Even  a  decision  of  an  important  case 
in  law  may  be  had  according  to  the  ability  of  the  contending 
parties  to  pay  the  judge. 

When  pratique  was  given,  a  fearful  rush  of  wild,  swarthy 
men,  in  bag-breeches,  bare  legs,  red  shoes,  red  caps,  and  blue 
laced  tight-fitting  jackets,  or  no  jackets,  sprang  for  the  gangway 
of  the  Luxor,  the  name  of  the  boat.  Previously,  we  had  been 
kept  in  supposed  subjection  by  two  ragged,  dirty  Arabs,  who 
authoritatively  sauntered  about  the  decks,  with  long  sticks,  to 
observe  and  preserve  —  for  they  probably  stole  their  living. 
They  were  guards  put  on  the  steps  by  the  doctor  when  the 
yellow  flag  was  raised. 

Exterior  to  the  circle  of  jabbering  boatmen,  there  were 
several  dragomen,  looking  out  for  engagements  to  accompany 
travellers  who  intended  to  proceed  to  Cairo,  or  beyond. 

At  Malta  there  are  numbers  of  professed  dragomen,  who 
become  tediously  importunate  for  engagements.  They  quite 
smother  one  with  their  recommendations  and  self-praised  qual- 
ifications, —  declaring  they  not  only  understand  every  inch  of 
Egypt  and  Syria,  and  speak  as  many  languages  as  were  spoken 
at  the  uproar  of  tongues  when  Babel  was  confused,  but  they 
endeavor  to  make  it  appear  that  it  is  all-important  to  take  a 
dragoman  whenever  an  opportunity  presents.  Remember  not  to 
take  one  from  Malta,  because  the  expense  of  transporting  him 
to  Alexandria,  nine  hundred  miles,  is  a  considerable  item.  At 
Alexandria,  dragomen  are  very  abundant,  and  no  difficulty  was 
ever  found  in  obtaining  one  when  wanted. 

One  man  cried  out  that  he  was  the  dragoman  of  Dr.  Stephens, 
the  author  of  Incidents  of  Travels ;  another  said  he  had  been 


ALEXANDRIA.  15 

with  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson,  when  he  was  making  explorations 
for  his  great  work  on  the  Antiquities  of  Egypt ;  while  others, 
equally  earnest  for  a  customer  among  some  of  the  howadjis, 
—  which  word  means  gentlemen, —  presented  equally  strong 
claims  to  patronage. 

Finally,  we  stepped  into  a  boat ;  but  the  pulling  and  hauling 
of  our  trunks  by  contending  parties,  and  the  rapidity  and 
severity  of  the  blows  they  gave  each  other,  made  it  clear  that 
we  were  in  a  land  of  blows.  By  joining,  to  some  extent,  in 
the  general  turmoil,  with  a  cane,  which  a  volunteer  Arab,  who 
subsequently  was  taken  into  service,  plied  most  lustily,  we 
ultimately  seated  ourselves  quietly  on  a  mound  of  luggage, 
and  even  struck  the  landing,  to  encounter  still  more  extraordi- 
nary excitements,  with  quite  a  different  race  of  human  beings, 
the  donkey-drivers. 

A  palace  in  one  direction ;  hundreds  of  mud  hovels  in  others ; 
minarets  of  mosques  in  the  distance ;  beautiful  ships-of-war, 
with  silken  banners  flying  at  the  mizzen  peaks ;  old  hulls  of 
decaying  frigates ;  the  glare  of  the  sun's  rays  on  the  bare, 
heated  sand ;  with  the  hum  of  voices,  and  the  slow  pace  of 
long  lines  of  camels,  —  were  novelties  of  no  every-day  occur- 
rence. 

It  was  a  lovely  day  on  which  we  left  the  water  for  the  land. 
Soft  breezes  from  the  ruffled  waves  were  refreshing,  and  seemed 
to  promote  the  happiness  of  every  one  but  the  Italian  doctor, 
whose  face  betrayed  his  stifled  anger  at  being  outwitted  by 
those  who  interfered  with  his  administration.  Although  suf- 
fering from  political  oppression  in  their  own  despotically  gov- 
erned country,  Italians  no  sooner  have  an  opportunity  to  exer- 
cise their  innate  propensities,  than  they  become  even  worse 
than  those  from  whose  oppression  they  escape. 

By  the  tattling  volubility  of  the  crowd,  it  was  evident  that 


16  A    PIIiGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

the  arrival  of  a  few  foreign  passengers  gives  activity  to  busi- 
ness, and  each  was  hoping  to  profit  by  the  movement. 

Before  we  had  fairly  stepped  out  of  the  boat,  an  immense 
rabble  of  carriers,  pedlers,  idlers,  and  donkey-drivers,  backing 
their  little  stubborn  brutes  plump  into  our  faces,  beset  us  at 
every  come-atable  point.  One  urged  the  good  qualities  of  his 
saddle  ;  another  declared  it  was  too  far  to  walk  up  town ;  and  a 
hundred  more  were  shouting,  screaming,  and  bellowing,  in 
broken  English,  all  kinds  of  information,  which  was  of  no 
earthly  importance.  While  this  confusion  was  at  its  height, 
our  luggage  was  borne  off  to  the  custom-house  for  examination. 
A  small  fee  was  paid  to  the  faithful  inspectors,  who  never 
troubled  themselves  to  look  an  inch  beyond  the  stratum  at  the 
top.  The  first  lesson  was  here  learned,  that  no  officer  of  the  gov- 
ernment, in  the  East,  is  beyond  the  magical  influence  of  a  bribe. 
From  the  man  nearest  to  the  throne  to  a  mendicant  in  the 
street,  backshiesh  —  meaning  a  present  —  is  all-powerful.  An 
Arab  or  a  Turk  will  serve  the  devil  as  readily  as  Allah  or  the 
Grand  Sultan,  if  he  is  paid  his  price. 

Every  requisition  being  complied  with, —  the  pasha's  inspect- 
ing revenue  officers  bribed  to  let  us  pass,  —  knowing  every 
delay  would  be  made  in  the  examination  if  we  did  not  put  a  few 
piastres  into  their  hands,  although  there  was  not  a  single 
dutiable  or  contraband  article  in  our  possession,  a  bevy  of 
contending  half-naked  Arab  boys  lashed  our  trunks,  bags, 
coats,  and  travelling  gear,  to  the  sides  of  the  donkeys,  so  that 
the  poor  little  things  were  almost  concealed  by  their  loads,  and 
away  we  sped  to  the  consular  square,  the  focus  of  civilization, 
hotels,  and  paper  lanterns.  Should  the  traveller  be  on  his 
route  to  India,  he  would  not  be  subjected  to  these  annoyances, 
as  the  overland  transit  company  take  charge  of  his  effects, 
which  are  merely  transferred  to  camels,  or  in  part  to  a  long 


ALEXANDRIA.  .17 

flat  on  carriage-wheels,  starting  from  the  square,  conveying  the 
whole  to  a  small  steamer  at  the  mouth  of  the  canal  that  reaches 
to  the  Nile. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  upon  a  detail  of  the  past 
history  or  condition  of  any  place.  The  historian  has  already 
accomplished  that,  and  anticipated  whatever  might  be  written 
of  the  past  glories,  civil,  martial,  and  religious  greatness,  of  this 
and  all  the  countries  and  territories  on  this  old  theatre  of 
humanity.  My  object  is  to  relate  the  every-day  scenes,  and 
sights,  and  occurrences,  as  they  were  presented  from  time  to 
time,  while  exploring  the  antiquities  of  Egypt. 

Among  the  number  who  were  determined  to  be  our  drago- 
man,—  that  is,  interpreter, —  was  Hassan,  a  sprightly-looking, 
dressy,  intelligent  Nubian,  of  about  six-and-thirty,  who  man- 
fully kept  the  gathering  rabble  from  devouring  us.  To  his 
course  of  discipline  they  readily  submitted.  He  swept  a  heavy 
stick  right  and  left,  and  belabored  some  of  the  miserable 
bronze-colored  wretches  right  merrily,  without  being  rattaned 
in  return.  They  bear  blows  with  the  indifference  of  a  rhinoce- 
ros ;  nor,  in  a  single  instance,  were  any  of  those  most  cudgelled 
noticed  to  manifest  very  marked  retaliatory  measures. 

Hassan  was  the  pink  of  an  Egyptian  dandy,  being  fanci- 
fully embroidered  down  every  seam  in  his  back,  —  wearing 
immense  Grecian  petticoat-breeches,  long  white  stockings  held 
up  by  red  garters,  red  morocco  shoes,  a  calico  sort  of  shirt- 
bosom,  —  probably  without  a  body,  —  a  red  cap,  swayed  to  one 
side,  jauntingly,  with  a  heavy  blue  silk  tassel.  In  his  mouth  was 
a  long  pipe.  Others  were  earnest  to  be  taken  into  service,  — 
natives  of  Malta,  Cairo,  Alexandria,  Beyroot,  and  Philae,  beyond 
the  first  cataract. 

Lodgings  having  been  procured,  a  general  survey  of  the  town 
was  commenced.  It  is  a  walled  city,  and  embraces  within  its 
2* 


18  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

mural  enclosure  space  enough  for  three  times  the  present  popu- 
lation,—  assumed  to  be  one  hundred  thousand.  One  large  open 
space  —  long  in  one  direction  and  narrower  in  the  other  —  is 
called  the  consular  square,  because  the  foreign  consuls  occupy 
the  principal  buildings,  or,  rather,  have  offices  around  the 
place.  On  the  roofs  are  flag-staffs,  at  the  extremities  of 
which  flags  of  the  various  nations  of  Europe,  and  that  of 
the  United  States,  are  uniformly  flying  on  the  Sabbath. 
On  other  days  they  rarely  raise  them,  unless  there  is  some 
especial  occasion.  On  our  arrival,  all  the  flags  were  at  half- 
mast  several  successive  days,  in  compliment  to  the  Belgian 
consul,  —  the  Queen  of  Belgium  having  recently  died.  When 
intelligence  of  the  melancholy  death  of  General  Taylor  was 
received,  all  the  flags  were  lowered  half-mast,  out  of  civility  to 
the  American  consul. 

All  the  streets  leading  out  of  the  square,  in  whatever  direc- 
tion, are  quite  wide-,  level,  and  well  made  ;  but  unparalleled  for 
fine  dust,  that  sticks  to  a  coat,  hat  and  shoes,  like  dry  flour. 
Towards  the  canal,  and  in  the  direction  of  the  palace,  they  are 
bordered  by  acacias,  of  the  size  of  ordinary  apple-trees,  which 
are  necessarily  w^atered  very  frequently,  or  they  would  die. 
The  ground  is  excavated,  round  the  roots  of  most  of  them,  in 
the  form  of  a  deep  cup,  into  which  a  mud  trench,  or  a  raised 
mud  canal,  carries  the  vitalizing  fluid,  previously  raised  by  a 
wheel,  hereafter  to  be  explained. 

The  city  of  Alexandria,  thus  laid  out  by  cutting  through 
whatever  happened  to  be  in  the  line  of  the  proposed  streets, 
houses,  mounds  of  rubbish,  or  division  fences,  had  alike  to  give 
way  to  the  energy  of  that  very  remarkable  man,  Mohammed 
Ali.  The  elements,  therefore,  of  a  large  commercial  city  are 
there ;  and  it  is  quite  safe  to  predict  that  it  is  destined,  hereafter, 


ALEXANDRIA.  19 

as  it  once  was,  to  be  the  capital  of  Egypt.  There  is  not 
another  port  to  be  compared  with  it  on  that  coast. 

A  lady  told  me  that  she  used  to  see  the  "  good  old  man  ride 
out  two  or  three  times  a  day,  when  the  trees,  now  magnificent, 
were  first  set  out,  to  see  if  the  workmen  did  the  business  faith- 
fully." Beyond  the  wall,  going  south-easterly,  are  mounds 
upon  mounds,  and  rubbish,  that  has  accumulated  into  large 
respectable  hills,  —  some,  indeed,  of  enormous  size.  For  miles 
in  the  distance,  the  surface  of  the  ground,  even  to  a  very  con- 
siderable depth,  seems  to  be  a  mixture  of  hewn  stones,  frag- 
ments of  columns,  broken  bricks,  bits  of  brown  pottery,  and 
other  miscellaneous  refuse  and  waste  materials  of  unrecorded 
generations,  who  have  occupied-  these  striking  localities.  A 
deep  trench  was  dug  round  the  wall  at  the  south-eastern  gate, 
which  leads  into  the  country  :  that  presents,  even  to  its  bottom, 
the  same  fragmentary  indications  of  the  upper  stratum,  being 
made  up,  in  and  about  the  whole  of  Alexandria,  of  the  cast-off 
rubbish  of  ages.  It  is  one  of  the  sights  that  excites  emo- 
tions of  surprise,  to  stroll  over  the  now  forsaken  bare  fields, 
thrown  into  irregular  forms  by  the  agency  of  hands  that  may 
have  been  resting  from  labor,  in  the  mummy-pits,  for  four 
thousand  years. 

Within  the  city  boundaries,  which  embrace  soma  of  the 
broad-based  eminences  of  the  remote  age  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  who  converted  the  fishing  town  of  Eacotis  into  a  mag- 
nificent city,  products  of  the  same  character,  which  are  brought 
out,  by  excavations,  at  a  distance  of  one  or  two  miles,  are  easily 
discovered.  I  have  seen  people  at  work  for  brick,  some  in 
pursuit  of  hammered  stone,  and  others,  perhaps,  were  desirous 
of  a  granite  column,  —  all  of  which  seem  to  abound,  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  in  those  enormous  magazines  of  ruins. 

Tradition  fixes  upon  a  broad  swell,  which  is  passed  on  the 


20  A   PILGRIMAGE  TO   EGTPT. 

way  to  the  canal,  near  Pompey's  Pillar,  as  the  site  of  the  famed 
Alexandrian  library.  At  the  old  harbor,  the  masonry  of  which 
is  a  startling  exhibition  of  the  tact  of  the  old  Egyptian  masons, 
stands  Cleopatra's  Needle,  a  red  granite  obelisk,  seventy  feet 
high,  in  a  single  piece,  and  seven  feet  seven  inches  square  at 
the  base.  The  foundation  on  which  it  stands  is  constituted  of 
different-sized  stones,  the  top  of  which  —  six  feet  or  more  below 
the  present  land  level  of  the  neighborhood  —  shows  how  great 
the  accumulation  must  have  been,  to  have  raised  an  extensive 
region  so  much  above  the  original  position.  Some  one  has 
thoughtfully  dug  away  the  earth,  exposing  the  bottom  end  of 
the  column.  I  noticed  that  the  lower  extremity  was  not  cut 
off  at  right  angles,  and,  consequently,  it  did  not  set  squarely 
down  upon  the  foundation.  A  copper  prop,  over  a  foot  long, 
and  six  inches  in  diameter,  was  set  endwise  under  one  corner, 
that  appeared  to  have  been  knocked  with  a  sledge,  to  raise  the 
shaft  to  a  perpendicular.  A  few  rods  west  of  this  lonely 
sculptured  monolith  is  its  fallen  mate,  that  must  have  once, 
and  perhaps  for  centuries,  been  covered  up  in  the  earth,  entirely 
out  of  sight.  Its  length  is  sixty-six  feet,  and  it  is  covered  with 
symbolical  hieroglyphical  characters.  It  was  presented  to  the 
British  government  by  Mohammed  Ali ;  but  it  was  too  massive 
to  move,  and  there  it  may  lie,  foundered,  like  a  leviathan,  with 
no  prospect  of  ever  being  raised  again.  Both  of  these  obelisks 
originally  stood  at  Heliopolis,  where  Moses  is  presumed  to  have 
been  educated.  At  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant  is  that  splen- 
did gray  granite  shaft,  called  Pompey's  Pillar,  ninety-eight  feet 
nine  inches  high,  including  the  fixtures.  The  real  single  column 
is  seventy-three  in  height,  and  the  circumference  twenty-nine 
feet  eight  inches, —  originally  polished  like  glass.  It  stands  on 
a  bare,  barren  eminence,  with  nothing  about  it  to  indicate  the 
splendor  that  historical  records  declare  existed  over  an  extensive 


ALEXANDRIA.  21 

field,  where  there  is  now  nothing  but  desolation.  A  group  of 
dark  Arab  girls  had  broken  off  large  bits  from  the  bold  round 
moulding  at  the  base,  by  climbing  near  ten  feet  to  where  the 
pillar  rests  on  the  sub-structure,  which  they  offered  to  sell, — 
even  begging  hard  to  have  us  purchase.  Finding  that  we 
manifested  no  enthusiasm,  or  willingness  to  buy,  they  threw 
them  away,  and  then  scampered  back  to  their  hovels  with  the 
fleetness  of  gazelles,  their  eyes  being  quite  as  wild,  black, 
and  sparkling.  On  one  occasion,  we  rode  several  miles  south- 
west, to  examine  the  ancient  tombs,  or  catacombs,  cut  into 
friable  limestone  rock,  on  the  margin  of  the  sea.  They  are 
extensive  cuttings,  into  the  form  of  large  rooms,  one  beyond 
the  other.  The  water  has  encroached  upon  them,  rending  the 
walls  of  some,  and  crushing  in  parts  of  others.  With  a  candle, 
we  crept  into  many  a  dark,  gloomy  apartment,  that  may  have 
been  stored  with  the  mummied  remains  of  priests,  philosophers, 
and  nobles,  a  dozen  times  over,  since  they  were  formed. 
Neptune,  however,  is  constantly  warring  against  these  ancient 
receptacles  of  the  dead ;  and  by  and  by,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  sand,  the  decomposition  of  the  stone,  and  the  combined 
action  of  an  allied  force  of  wind  and  waves,  they  will  be  wholly 
obliterated.  As  works  of  art,  they  are  not  remarkable  ;  but  as 
specimens  of  patient  industr}-,  they  are  extraordinary,  and 
worthy  of  exploration. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  in  the  harbor  of  Alexandria, — 
Friday,  —  no  business  could  be  transacted  ^vith  the  function- 
aries of  government  in  regard  to  a  liberation  from  quarantine, 
because  it  was  the  Mussulman  Sabbath.  The  day  following, — 
Saturday,  —  when  the  steamer  was  liberated,  no  business  could 
be  done  with  the  Jew  bankers,  because  it  was  their  Sabbath ; 
and,  on  the  third  day,  nothing  could  be  transacted  with  the 


22  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Christians,  as  it  was  their  Sabbath.  This  was,  indeed,  a  sin- 
gular circumstance,  —  three  Sabbaths  in  succession. 

All  the  streets  are,  as  before  observed,  exceedingly  dusty. 
Towards  the  palace,  an  occasional  Arab,  with  a  monster  turban, 
bare-legged,  bearing  a  skin  of  water  —  when  full,  having  the 
appearance  of  a  living  animal  —  slung  over  his  shoulders,  was 
seen  whisking  a  little  feeble  streamlet  from  the  aperture.  This 
was  a  primitive  way  of  watering  a  street ;  and  not  of  much 
service,  since  it  dried  up  nearly  as  fast  as  he  let  it  out  by 
loosening  the  string. 

Squadrons  of  donkeys  stand  saddled,  for  hire,  at  the  port 
landing,  in  the  consular  square,  and  at  other  centres.  The 
saddles  are  easy,  but  awkward  in  construction,  —  the  pommel 
being  quite  a  tumulus,  a  foot  broad,  and  half  that  high.  When 
one  is  mounted,  a  driver  runs  in  the  rear,  belaboring  the  poor 
quadruped  every  moment  of  time ;  — when  the  cudgel  stops,  his 
feet  stop  also.  Some  of  the  drivers  have  sail-needles,  with 
which  they  give  a  dab  in  the  shoulder,  every  few  rods.  The 
blood  sometimes  trickles  do^vn  the  fore-leg  in  consequence. 
1  used  to  wonder  how  my  fingers  became  bloody,  till  the  secret 
of  increasing  their  speed  was  discovered. 

The  mosques  being  open,  devout  Mussulmans  are  seen  going 
out  and  in,  leisurely,  at  all  hours ;  but  on  Friday,  especially, 
there  was  a  larger  current  than  usual  towards  the  doors.  No 
secular  employments,  however,  are  ever  interrupted  on  mosque- 
day,  by  the  faithful.  After  saying  their  prayers, —  of  which 
some  curious  particulars  may  be  related  in  the  course  of  this 
narrative,  —  they  return  to  their  occupations.  An  elevated 
class  of  pious  men  —  chiefly  such  as  hold  positions  under  gov- 
ernment —  assume  a  more  solemn  aspect ;  and,  if  a  salary  is 
going  on,  cannot,  in  conscience,  discharge  any  public  duties  on 
that  sanctified  day. 


I 


ALEXAKDRIA.  23 

A  large  and  fully-attended  Roman  Catholic  church,  embrac- 
ing a  generous  amount  of  land,  a  short  distance  from  the 
consular  square,  indicates  a  thrifty  state  of  its  funds.  French, 
Italians  and  Spaniards,  —  in  short,  all  Catholics,  come  from 
wherever  they  may,  —  rally  at  its  many  altars.  The  church  is 
large,  has  a  bell,  and  bright  and  early  on  Sunday  morning  the 
flag  of  his  holiness  of  Rome  is  raised.  An  Episcopal  church 
is  squeezed  into  small  quarters.  A  pretty  stone  edifice,  on  the 
square,  was  going  up  slowly,  while  we  were  there.  All  the 
stone  were  of  a  soft,  mealy,  porous  sort  of  limestone,  brought 
from  Malta. 

There  are  two  post-offices.  One  belongs  to  the  government, 
and  was  kept  in  a  dark  apartment  under  my  lodgings.  A  mail 
comes  down  on  horseback  from  Cairo,  and  another  returns 
daily.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  native  correspondence 
between  the  two  great  cities  of  Egj^pt,  Alexandria  and  Cairo, 
by  the  fact,  that  each  day's  accumulation  of  letters  from  ali 
sources  makes  a  package  easily  transported  in  that  manner. 
About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Franks  and  natives  begin 
to  cluster  about  the  door.  When  the  contents  of  the  bag  are 
assorted,  the  window  opens  for  delivery.  Postage  is  dear.  My 
impression  is  that  the  cost  of  a  single  letter  to  Cairo  was  not 
far  from  eighteen  cents. 

All  papers,  letters  and  packages,  destined  for  Europe  or 
America,  must  be  prepaid  at  the  transit  company's  post-office, 
at  the  easterly  terminus  of  the  square. 

In  walking  or  riding,  men,  women,  slaves  and  children,  are 
met,  in  all  sorts  of  queer  garments,  the  representatives  of  diver- 
sified nations  ;  —  Arabs  in  turbans  and  tarbousches,  bare  legs, 
either  barefooted  or  in  red  shoes ;  Jews,  portly,  sore-eyed,  but 
sleek,  as  their  tongues  are  oily  in  the  exchange  of  money ; 
Africans,  black,  tall,  and  lank ;  Levantine  females,  veiled,  and 


24  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

in  soft  yellow  morocco  boots,  stuck  into  long,  peaked-toed  yellow 
slippers;  Nubians,  with  comely  features,  but  black  as  jet;  and 
intermixtures  of  all  shades  between  coal-black  and  milk-white. 
Numbers  of  Arab  women,  with  only  a  single  garment,  —  a 
long  blue  cotton  shirt,  with  wide  dangling  sleeves,  the  bosom 
split  half  down  the  waist,  exposing  their  persons,  —  though 
cautiously  concealing  their  faces  with  any  quality  of  a  veil  they 
may  have,  are  perpetually  on  the  move,  carrying  stone  pots, 
baskets,  and  whatever  is  to  be  carried,  on  their  heads.  An 
instinctive  sense  of  propriety  prompts  them  to  cover  their  faces, 
while  the  remainder  of  their  flabby,  bronzed  bodies  are  not 
regarded  with  indications  of  concern.  They  are  seen  driving 
herds  of  milch  goats,  with  their  pendulous  udders  secured  in  a 
bag,  tied  over  their  backs,  to  prevent  the  kids  from  nursing. 
They  sell  bread,  also,  and  other  eatables ;  but,  as  a  body,  those 
of  this  order  idle  away  a  majority  of  their  days  by  squatting 
round  the  shady  sides  of  their  mud  hovels,  raising  poultry, 
doves,  and  fussing  about  their  unstomachable  children,  of  which 
they  are  usually  prolific.  No  female  servants  are  known  in 
the  hotels  of  Alexandria,  —  two  or  three  of  which  have  been 
organized  since  the  establishment  of  the  overland  mail  line, 
through  Egypt,  to  India,  —  kept  extremely  well,  ly  Italians. 
Arab  male-servants,  principally,  do  all  the  indoor  service,  — 
even  to  making  beds,  and  all  that  pertains  to  chamber-work. 
There  is  not  much  difference  in  expense  between  these  hotels 
and  those  of  New  York  and  Boston. 

When  night  sets  in,  Alexandria  is  a  gloomy  place, — not 
being  lighted.  If  a  person  goes  beyond  the  door,  he  carries  a 
lantern.  In  looking  from  the  window,  a  few  faint  lights  may 
be  discovered  flitting  across  the  square ;  but  by  nine  o'clock 
they  nearly  all  disappear.  Arabs  and  Turks,  like  birds,  retire 
when  the  curtain  of  the  heavens  shuts  out  the  light;  but  in 


ALEXANDRIA.  25 

early  rising  they  have  no  superiors.  They  have  no  evening 
amusements  beyond  a  pipe,  nor  a  thought  which  disturbs  them 
of  the  past,  or  a  hope  that  is  not  to  be  realized,  they  believe, 
in  the  future.  The  slave-market,  on  one  side  of  the  town,  is 
a  small  court,  surrounded  by  shabby  old  buildings,  —  a  row  of 
half  sheds,  half  houses,  —  with  doors  opening  into  the  area. 
The  street  entrance,  under  a  rickety  arch,  closed  by  a  gate, 
stood  ajar,  and  in  we  sauntered.  Perhaps  there  were  twenty 
negresses,  nine  years  old,  and  two  who  might  be  eighteen. 
They  covered  their  nakedness  by  a  grimy  cotton  sheet,  held 
together  by  their  fingers ;  while  their  wire-twisted  wool  —  for 
they  were  all  from  Dongola,  where  they  were  stolen  —  was 
profusely  decorated  with  small  coins  and  brass  trinkets.  They 
hovered  about  us,  as  though  they  were  to  be  examined ;  while 
their  masters  —  tall,  spare  Nubians,  black  as  they  were,  but 
with  regular,  fine  features  —  stood  by  to  ask  for  backshiesh. 
A  few  piastres  were  given  them,  and  we  retired,  to  dwell  upon 
the  horrors  of  their  pitiable  condition.  They  were  children  in 
stature,  and  certainly  so  in  intellect.  Two  only,  of  the  whole, 
were  any  way  interesting  in  their  expression,  or  cleanly;  but 
they  were  mostly  in  robust  health. 

Europeans  have  introduced  a  few  amusements,  but  not  of  a 
very  elevated  or  improving  character.  A  small  Italian  theatre 
is  occasionally  in  operation.  Some  stray,  second-rate,  straggling 
singer  occasionally  advertises  a  concert;  and,  in  addition  to  those, 
a  series  of  low,  disreputable  balls,  or  evening  dances,  are  poorly 
sustained  by  the  curiosity  of  strangers  who  find  no  resources  in 
the  antiquities  and  historical  associations  of  the  past,  on  a  spot 
so  memorable  in  the  transactions  of  the  world.  In  these  recre- 
ations, neither  Turks,  who  hold  all  places  of  trust,  nor  Arabs, 
who  are  crushed  politically,  and  ruled  by  the  fear  of  a  basti- 
nado, participate. 

3 


2§  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    UGYPl'. 

All  the  houses  and  shops  are  beginning  to  have  a  civilized 
appearance ;  and  those  occupied  by  the  various  consuls,  bank- 
ers, and  principal  European  merchants,  are  as  elegant,  comfort- 
able, and  well-furnished,  as  the  best  class  of  dwellings  in  other 
countries.  In  the  bazaars,  a  taint  of  the  old  customs  is  recog- 
nized. The  native  shopkeepers  sit  flat  on  the  floor  in  pursuing 
their  book-keeping  and  money-changing,  waiting  upon  custom- 
ers by  reaching  their  goods,  in  the  little  stalls  in  which  many 
of  them  are  located,  hardly  five  feet  square.  Mechanics  are 
seated  at  their  anvils,  on  the  floor;  as  also  the  shoemakers, 
tinmen,  cabinet-makers,  &c.  &c.,  even  down  to  turners  at  a 
lathe,  —  these  last  holding  the  chisel's  point  to  the  stick  with 
the  toes,  the  handle  being  in  the  left  hand,  while  in  the  right 
is  the  bow,  see-sawing  v/hatever  is  to  be  turned,  first  back- 
ward and  then  forward.  I  was  surprised  at  the  nicety  of 
the  pipe-stems  thus  manufactured.  Even  large  blocks,  the 
diameter  of  four  inches,  similar  to  mahogany  bedstead-posts, 
were  beautifully  turned  in  a  bow-lathe  in  that  awkward 
manner. 

We  went  to  the  palace  raised  by  the  talismanic  behest  of 
the  greatest  man  Egypt  has  had  in  modern  times,  the  late 
Mohammed  Ali.  It  was  the  fabrication  of  French  architects. 
Some  of  the  state  apartments  were  superb,  large,  and  lofty. 
Floor  beyond  floor  even  surpassed  very  many  of  the  best  I  have 
seen  in  the  royal  residences  of  Europe.  One,  in  particular, 
was  inlaid  with  black  ebony,  polished  to  vie  with  a  mirror. 
Most  of  the  drapery  was  entirely  French  in  taste  and  material ; 
and  the  chairs,  a  billiard-table,  chandeliers,  and  other  appurte- 
nances of  elegance,  made  it  evident  that  they  had  been  selected 
by  some  one  who  had  good  taste  and  a  full  purse.  Neither 
pictures  nor  statuary  were  there.  Fat  cushions,  to  be  dropped 
about  the  floor,  for  lolling  or  sleeping,  were  piled  up  in  a  cor- 


ALEXANDRIA.  27 

ner;  and  a  wide  divan  —  a  bench,  not  dissimilar  to  a  tailor's 
work-table  —  extended  across  the  end  of  one  pretty  room,  for 
sleeping.  There  was  one  bedstead,  but  we  were  informed 
that  his  late  highness  always  preferred  the  floor.  Immense 
looking-glasses  had  been  up,  but  were  now  packed  in  boxes,  to 
be  removed,  by  order  of  the  reigning  pasha.  Some  boxes  of 
new  furniture,  just  arrived,  were  in  the  basement.  The  grounds 
were  prettily  cultivated,  for  Egypt,  yet  there  was  a  stiffness 
and  sameness  in  the  plants.  Of  course,  no  one  was  allowed  to 
pass  on  to  the  next  enclosure,  —  the  mysterious  harem,; — 
where  three-and-twenty  widows  of  one  man,  the  defunct  regen- 
erator and  Napoleon  of  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs,  were  immured 
in  a  fairy  cell,  where  the  customs  of  society  require  they  shall 
remain  to  the  day  of  death. 

Alexandria  is  a  well-regulated,  securely-governed  city.  With 
a  population  presumed  to  be  one  hundred  thousand,  there  is 
neither  a  mayor,  aldermen,  common  council,  assessors,  a  treas- 
urer, overseers  of  the  poor,  an  almshouse,  penitentiary,  or 
house  of  correction.  There  is  a  lock-up,  equivalent  to  a  jail; 
but  the  demand  for  more  spacious  accommodations  has  not 
been  made  on  account  of  the  increase  of  crime. 

There  are  two  courts,  special  in  their  character,  and  exten- 
sive in  jurisdiction.  A  military  officer — a  colonel  —  Resided 
over  the  first,  seated  cross-legged  on  a  cushion ;  on  the  left  of 
whom  were  two  portly,  smoking,  sedate  Turks,  who  were  said 
to  be  assistants.  The  other,  —  the  court  of  the  kadi,  —  like 
the  kadi  at  Cairo,  receives  his  appointment  from  the  sultan, 
and  is  sent  from  Constantinople.  Foreign  offenders  are  given 
over  to  the  consuls  of  their  respective  governments,  who  send 
them  home  for  trial.  The  presiding  police  justice  apparently 
takes  cognizance  of  every  want  of  the  citizens,  as  well  as  their 
delinquencies.     If  a  favor  is  asked  of  the  government,  he  is 


28  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

first  addressed.  A  military  governor  writes  to  Cairo  for  lib- 
erty to  do  this  or  that,  by  way  of  improvement  or  necessity,  in 
the  city.  The  minister  of  the  home  department  grants  it  or 
not,  perhaps  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  pasha,  who  is 
absolute  in  every  respect,  even  to  the  minutest  details  of  agri- 
culture, the  arts,  and  the  personal  liberty  of  his  subjects. 
Whatever  is  expended  for  public  purposes  comes  out  of  the 
public  treasury ;  and  that  is  kept  in  a  plethoric  condition  by 
imposts  and  direct  taxation.  Soldiers  are  quartered  about  the 
city,  —  considerable  numbers  being  in  barracks,  —  and  at  the 
police-stations,  for  police  duties  devolve  upon  them.  At  night 
the  watch  is  numerous,  men  being  within  hail  of  each  other 
over  the  whole  territory  of  the  city.  One  of  them  halloos  with 
all  his  strength,  about  every  half-hour,  in  the  consular  square ; 
and  the  next  imitates  him,  and  thus  the  noise  is  propagated 
quickly  over  the  whole  of  the  city.  It  is  excessively  annoying, 
and  is  probably  required  of  the  soldiers  to  keep  them  from 
sleeping  at  their  posts.  This  night  uproar  of  the  police  is  the 
worst  nuisance  to  be  met  with  in  Alexandria.  The  system  of 
management  in  the  schools,  the  punishments,  the  crimes  char- 
acteristic of  the  mixed  population,  and  the  manner  of  conduct- 
ing suits  at  law,  will  be  considered  hereafter. 

I  m^e  many  visits  to  the  canal,  the  liveliest  district  in  the 
city,  where  boats  are  constantly  arriving  from  the  upper  Nile, 
laden  with  produce,  manufactures  and  passengers,  from  Nubia, 
Abyssinia,  and  still  more  distant  regions  beyond. 

One  week  is  a  sufficiently  short  time  to  become  initiated 
into  the  new  phases  of  humanity  in  a  professedly  unchristian 
country.  A  tour  at  the  public  granaries,  where  a  continuous 
stream  is  pouring  in  from  the  top  of  the  roof;  the  cargoes 
of  beans,  corn,  millet,  and  wheat,  that  are  coming  out  at 
the  door,  and  conveyed  on  a  track  of  railroad,  —  the  only  one 


LEAVING   ALEXAXDEIA    FOR    CAIRO.  29 

in  Eg)^pt,  —  ten  rods  in  length,  to  the  end  of  a  pier ;  the  call 
to  prayers  from  the  minarets;  the  barking  of  dogs,  from 
sunset  to  sunrise,  and  the  general  movement  of  the  social 
machinery ;  the  strangeness  of  the  turbans ;  the  slow  trains 
of  camels,  with  noiseless  feet ;  the  hum  of  activity,  the  variety 
of  dialects,  and  the  noveltj'  of  being  in  Africa,  —  a  country 
the  most  marvellous  in  its  history,  the  most  extraordinary  in 
its  antiquities,  and  the  most  anomalous  in  its  present  organ- 
ization,—  is  well  calculated  to  keep  up  an  excitement  which 
no  scenes  or  sights  in  Europe,  with,  all  the  veneration  they 
receive,  could  produce. 

LEAVING  ALEXANDRIA  FOR   CAIRO. 

There  are  three  modes  of  reaching  the  present  capital  of 
Eg\'pt :  namely,  going  out  to  sea,  and  turning  up  the  Damietta 
or  Rosetta  branches  of  the  Nile ;  by  land,  on  horseback,  —  a 
tedious,  profitless  jaunt ;  or  by  the  canal,  forty  miles  in  length, 
which  opens  into  the  Nile  at  Atfeh,  a  miserable,  dirty  Arab 
town.  If  the  traveller  does  not  go  to  Cairo  in  the  transit 
company's  steamer,  which  runs  through  the  canal,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  hire  a  river-boat,  always  lying  in  the  canal,  waiting  for 
jobs. 

Before  closing  a  bargain,  look  cautiously,  to  ascertain  whether 
the  boat  is  free  from  vermin,  rats  and  snakes.  In  general,  one- 
third  of  the  stipulated  price  is  paid  down,  and  the  remamder 
at  the  termination  of  the  trip.  The  bargain  must  be  written, 
and  the  reis,  or  captain,  made  to  sign  it  with  his  seal,  in  dupli- 
cate, each  taking  a  copy,  for  none  of  them  can  read  or  write. 
All  the  provisions  for  daily  use  must  be  put  on  board,  together 
with  pans,  kettles,  earthen  pots,  cooking  apparatus,  cots,  blank- 
ets, sugar,  coffee,  &c. ;  and  a  regular  house-keeping  commetfdfe 
3* 


30  A    PILGKIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

the  moment  the  sail  is  up.  Tliere  are  dragomen  in  abundance, 
who  contract  to  go  for  a  daily  specific  sum,  or  by  the  month,  to 
be  gone  as  long  as  desired,  —  even  into  Nubia,  back  across  the 
desert,  into  Palestine,  Turkey  or  Persia.  They  are  up  for  a 
market,  without  reference  to  place  or  length  of  the  undertaking. 
This  is  somewhat  expensive ;  but  when  two  or  three  gentle- 
men unite  in  all  the  expenses,  it  very  materially  lightens  the 
expense  of  each.  It  is  best  not  to  contract  for  the  boat  further 
than  Cairo ;  thus  an  opportunity  for  testing  the  boat  and  crew 
is  secured.  A  contract  must  mention  particularly  the  number 
of  the  crew,  and  that  they  are  to  row  or  tow  the  boat,  when  the 
wind  fails,  a  certain  number  of  hours  daily. 

Through  our  dragoman,  Hassan,  a  boat  was  taken  into  ser- 
vice, and  an  agreement  made  with  Reis  Abuzed,  —  a  short, 
thick-set,  black,  flowing-bearded,  respectable-appearing  Arab, — 
his  ten  men  and  a  boy,  to  take  us  to  Cairo.  He  came  to  our 
lodgings  —  near  four  miles  —  to  talk  and  smoke  the  subject 
over ;  and  we  returned  the  visit,  by  going  to  the  canal  to  view 
the  boat.  It  had  tv.'o  small  rooms  on  the  deck,  a  wooden  divan 
to  put  beds  on,  and  a  box  to  kindle  a  charcoal  fire  in,  forward, 
when  any  cooking  was  to  be  done.  He  brought  down  a  colonel 
of  the  army,  and  his  harem,  a  week  or  so  before.  Dividing 
ourselves  into  three  divisions,  we  forthwith  commenced  shop- 
ping, to  fit  up  our  establishment. 

Having  met  the  Rev.  Mr.  Holland  and  Mr.  H.  A.  Warren, 
from  Boston,  at  Rome,  and  subsequently  at  Naples,  an  arrange- 
ment was  agreed  upon,  by  which  we  could  travel  in  the  East 
together.  For  mutual  comfort,  security  and  economy,  it  proved 
to  be  an  agreeable  acquaintance ;  and  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  them  for  many  a  pleasant 
day  we  passed  together  on  the  river  Nile,  and  in  exploring 


LEVANTINES.  33 

the  massive  and  colossal  ruins  of  the  temples  and  catacombs 
of  Ancient  Egj'pt. 

On  the  morning  of  our  leave-taking,  there  was  a  slight  rain. 
A  hooting,  tramping  rabble  of  persons  of  all  colors,  all  fashions 
of  dress,  in  all  the  excitement  that  could  move  a  miscellaneous 
crowd  of  boys,  soldiers,  idlers  and  strangers,  roused  me  from 
the  writing-table,  just  after  daylight.  I  joined  the  increasing 
legion,  and  soon  ascertained  that  a  Maltese  sailor  had  commit- 
ted a  murder,  and  the  soldiers  were  carrj'ing  him  to  the  lock- 
up. He  would  then  be  delivered  to  the  English  consul,  to 
send  away  for  trial.  Being  out,  it  was  amusing  to  gaze  upon 
the  variety  of  strange-looking  men  and  women  who  v/ere  pass- 
ing. Very  many  Levantine  females  were  riding  on  donkeys, 
astride,  enveloped  in  monstrous  black  silk  cloaks.  Their  knees 
being  raised  to  a  level  with  the  pommel  of  the  saddle,  and  the 
cloaks  immensely  inflated  by  the  wind,  their  appearance,  pre- 
ceded by  a  black  slave,  cracking  a  whip  to  clear  the  way,  was 
indescribably  ludicrous.  Their  faces  were  covered  to  the  eyes 
with  white  veils,  suspended  from  the  middle  of  the  forehead, 
—  a  cord  coming  down  on  a  line  with  the  nose,  from  a  band 
tliat  crosses  the  head.  Some  have  a  series  of  short  brass 
tubes,  strung  together,  constituting  a  heavy  chain,  to  sustain 
the  weight  of  the  veil. 

Levantines  are  those  born  in  Egypt,  or  the  East,  of  foreign 
parentage.  Many  of  them  are  Christians,  who  conform  to 
some  of  the  peculiar  institutions  of  the  Mohammedans.  Wear- 
ing a  veil  is  a  custom  as  old  as  the  days  of  Abraham,  and,  no 
doubt,  of  a  more  remote  antiquity.  Some  of  the  ladies  had 
fair  complexions  ;  but  a  majority  were  rather  sallow,  with 
piercing  black  eyes,  short  in  stature,  and  fat.  Even  the  black 
female  slaves  who  accompany  them  in  riding  and  walking 
were  veiled  in  the  same  manner.     It  was  sometimes  difficult 


34  A    PILGKIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

to  determine  what  the  color  of  the  individual  was,  so  closely 
were  the  corners  of  the  veil  dra\vn  down.  Little  girls  — 
ragged,  bare-legged,  and  scarcely  covered  to  hide  their  naked- 
ness— begin  at  eight  and  nine  years  to  resort  to  the  veil,  which 
demonstrates  the  deep  and  abiding  force  of  the  custom.  An 
occasional  mishap  exposes  the  face,  but  rarely ;  and  some, 
indicating  a  natural  coquetry  of  the  sex,  raise  one  side,  expos- 
ing one  eye,  either  for  a  better  view  for  themselves,  or  for 
exhibiting  the  antimonial  lines  of  beauty  they  have  made  about 
the  margins  of  the  eyelids. 

Our  purchases  being  made,  and  secured  in  rattan  boxes, 
called  canteens,  with  one  pine  chest,  secured  by  a  padlock, 
where  our  most  precious  articles  were  packed,  the  whole 
was  collected  at  the  hotel.  A  troop  of  donkeys  had.  gath- 
ered about  the  door,  as  hackmen  do  where  there  is  to  be  an 
Irish  funeral,  in  hope  of  a  job.  All  the  knives,  spoons,  forks, 
pans,  &c.,  were  of  the  rudest,  coarsest  kind,  that,  in  case 
of  loss,  there  might  be  no  mourning  in  consequence  of  their 
value.  When  they  were  laden,  and  the  big  boxes,  pans,  mats, 
blankets  and  overcoats,  had  been  strapped  on,  we  mounted,  and 
the  cavalcade  began  to  move.  Being  assured  nothing  could 
pass  out  at  the  gate  without  a  certificate  from  the  consul,  pre- 
caution had  been  taken  to  procure  one,  by  paying  for  it ;  but 
which,  in  the  end,  was  of  no  kind  of  use  whatever.  A  fero- 
cious-looking Arab,  who  acts  as  general  guardian,  guard  of 
honor,  and  official  servant  of  the  consul,  under  the  old  name  of 
janizary,  armed  with  a  long  sword,  and  a  pair  of  pistols  stuck 
in  a  sash  that  encircled  his  waist,  came  up,  just  as  we  were 
starting,  saying  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  pass  the  luggage 
through  without  him.  We  had  also  paid  one  dollar  apiece  for 
a  certificate  that  we  were  American  citizens,  which  never  was 
sho^vn  but  once,  and  then  treated  with  contempt,  —  a  perfectly 


KKMAt.KS    URF.S>;i:i)  K(1K   \V.\I.KIN(;   OK  UIDIXf..     ra;«;  :i4. 


ARAB    FAXATICS.  37 

useless  expenditure; — and  future  visiters  can  do  as  they  like 
about  feeing  the  American  consul-general  for  worthless  papers, 
recollecting  that  he  has  a  fixed  salary  of  three  thousand  dollars 
a  year  from  Washington.  Well,  on  we  went,  single  file,  pass- 
ing near  Pompey's  Pillar.  Mr.  Warren  carried  a  bag  of  copper 
paras,  nearly  a  peck  in  measure,  but  of  small  value.  I  went 
in  advance,  while  Mr.  Holland  acted  as  supervisor  and  look- 
out agent  for  the  safety  of  the  goods  and  chattels. 

Being  considerably  in  advance  through  the  gate,  and  observ- 
ing a  detention,  I  became  anxious,  and  retraced  a  few  rods,  to 
ascertain  the  difficulty.  The  sentinels  had  brought  the  don- 
keys to  for  examination.  They  laughed  at  the  consul's  paper, 
and  were  equally  indifierent  to  the  sputtering  importance  of 
his  man  of  straw  with  the  pistols.  A  bribe  was  paid,  and  the 
loads  came  on.  But  next,  our  official  blusterer  demanded  pay. 
He  was  indignant  at  the  sum  given,  and  departed  in  high 
dudgeon.  Neither  his  services  or  his  master's  had  been  of  the 
least  importance,  while  for  each  act  of  both  was  a  charge.  This 
is  a  specimen  of  the  beginning  with  American  consuls  in  the 
Orient.  No  one  is  ever  satisfied  in  Eg}-pt.  Give  all  that  has 
been  stipulated,  and  some  are  angry  because  there  is  no  more. 

When  all  the  trumpery  had  been  put  on  board  and  stowed, 
lo!  Hassan  had  not  arrived.  We  were  therefore  compelled  to 
make  the  best  of  the  disappointment,  and  retire  to  our  new 
lodgings  for  the  night.  The  evening  was  excessively  dark ; 
but,  hearing  low,  earnest  voices,  not  unlike  praying,  a  few  rods 
distant,  in  a  one-story  house,  in  which  a  faint  lamp-light  was 
glimmering  through  the  crevices,  I  ventured  near,  to  watch 
the  movements  within.  A  few  pious  Arabs,  in  a  state  of  exalt- 
ation by  smoking  either  strong  tobacco  or  hemp,  were  making 
a  hvimming  wail,  bowing  and  groaning  inwardly,  with  an 
expression  of  sanctity  not  very  unlike  what  is  sometimes  wit- 
4 


38  A    PnX3RIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

nessed  in  Methodist  meetings.  No  females  participated  in  the 
devotions,  if  such  they  were. 

Bright  and  early  the  following  morning,  Hassan  made  his 
appearance,  in  full  travelling  gear,  accompanied  by  a  boy  of 
fourteen,  Ali,  who  was  to  be  his  assistant.  He  also  brought  a 
bright  little  lad  of  eight  years,  his  son,  of  whom  he  was  excess- 
ively fond.  He  regretted  that  the  child  had  not  been  circum- 
cised,—  an  essential  rite  of  his  fathers,  which  no  conscientious 
follower  of  the  prophet  ever  neglected  ;  —  but  he  had  been 
much  from  home,  and  could  not  attend  to  it.  As  it  would 
cost  considerable  to  feast  his  circle  of  friends,  whenever  per- 
formed, he  was  impatiently  waiting  to  collect  a  sufficient  sum 
to  defray  the  expense.  Hassan  asked  for  money  to  send 
back  to  his  family,  which  was  advanced.  In  the  midst  of 
pushing  off  from  the  bank,  up  rode  a  fine,  spirited  fellow,  on  a 
smoking  donkey,  who  demanded  the  clothes  of  Ali.  He  was 
his  brother,  and  objected  to  his  taking  his  best  breeches  to  the 
Thebiad.  These  were  composed  of  a  big  white  cotton  bag,  open 
at  both  ends,  held  up  over  the  hips  by  a  string,  and  reach- 
ing down  to  the  knees.  A  silk  scarf  was  bound  several  times 
round  the  body,  and  a  calico  shirt-bosom,  or  vest,  —  I  never 
could  fairly  ascertain  which,  —  buttoned  to  the  throat,  with 
little  round  pea-buttons,  completed  the  dress.  We  vetoed  any 
such  proceedings ;  if  the  boy  was  to  go  with  us,  he  should  be 
decently  clad,  and  no  threats  would  change  our- purpose.  The 
man  said,  their  father  being  dead,  it  was  his  duty  to  act  parent- 
ally ;  he  only  desired  to  keep  the  clothing  till  our  safe  return. 
A  contest  of  words  ensued,  but  Hassan  contrived  to  settle  the 
matter  satisfactorily,  and  the  boy,  being  relieved  from  the 
apprehension  of  losing  his  nether  garment,  became  cheerful 
and  active. 

Up  came  the  pin  in  the  bank  that  held  the  boat,  the  sail  was 


GBEAX  EGYPTIAN  CANAL.  3d 

set,  and  soon  we  felt  as  fine  a  breeze  as  though  it  had  been 
bespoken  especially  for  the  occasion.  It  came  jiearly  astern, 
and  strongly,  so  that  the  canjia  ploughed  through  the  canal 
at  a  rapid  rate. 

By  taking  a  position  on  the  top  of  the  cabin,  some  seven  feet 
above  the  water,  where  we  could  climb  by  making  two  long 
strid.es,  —  the  w^eather  being  clear,  warm  and  inviting,  —  we 
obtained  a  view  of  both  sides  of  the  canal,  which  was  very 
interesting,  from  the  variety  of  new  sights  perpetually  coming 
into  view.  Lake  Mareotis  —  described  by  Strabo,  which  Pliny 
says  was  thirty  miles  long — was  on  the  right  hand,  —  a  broad 
sheet  of  water.  Houses  and  huts,  on  either  side,  were  fre- 
quently passed,  near  the  banks,  into  which  we  could  peep  a 
little  way,  but  without  discovering  anything  of  a  remarkable 
character  in  the  domestic  arrangements. 

The  canal  was  named  by  its  projector  the  Mahmoodeeh,  in 
honor  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  Mahmoud  11. ,  who  was  on  the 
throne  when  Mohammed  Ali  completed  it.  It  was  dug  and 
opened  in  about  one  year,  by  the  constant  labor  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  men,  twenty  thousand  of  whom  were 
supposed  to  have  died  by  being  overtasked,  and  by  accidents 
and  disease.  It  is  wide  enough,  in  many  places,  for  half  a 
dozen  boats  to  pass,  without  molestation ;  but  at  other  points  it 
was  originally  narrow,  and  is  becoming  more  so  by  the  gradual 
washing  and  falling  in  of  the  unwalled  banks.  The  excavated 
niud  is  piled  up  in  irregular  ridges  all  the  way  to  Atfeh,  forty 
miles.  Looking  over  and  beyond,  the  broad,  unfenced,  level 
fields  are  clearly  seen,  for  many  miles.  Some  were  flooded, 
others  muddy  by  irrigation ;  some  are  pastured  by  cattle,  driven 
and  watched  by  little  Arab  boys  and  girls ;  and  occasionally 
quite  a  pretty  wooden  house  comes  in  for  admiration,  owned 
by  a  thrifty  Turk ;  the  upper  windows  —  the  sacred  apartment 


40  A  PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYFf. 

of  the  females  —  being  closely  defended  by  lattice-work.  With 
a  delightful  breeze,  long  before  night  we  arrived  at  Atfeh. 
Remains  of  the  old  canal  of  Fooah,  which  anciently  united  the 
Nile  with  Alexandria,  were  traceable  on  the  route,  at  several 
points. 

Atfeh,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  canal,  where  it  joins  the  Nile 
by  a  strong,  heavy  double  lock,  is  a  large  mud  town,  extending 
on  both  sides  of  the  canal,  along  its  steep  banks.  One  house 
only  had  glass  windows,  —  belonging  to  the  pasha,  built  by 
Mohammed  Ali,  the  only  person  who  has  accomplished  any- 
thing for  the  improvement  of  Egj'pt  since  the  reign  of  the 
Ptolemies.  Boats  are  made,  of  a  very  good  quality,  in  front 
of  their  dirty  homes,  of  very  short  pieces  of  wood,  —  the  car- 
penters squatting  on  the  ground  to  hew,  saw  or  plane,  —  the 
custom  with  all  orders  of  mechanics.  These  boats  were  all 
the  time  coming  or  going  through  the  locks.  Those  that 
came  down  the  river  were  laden  with  cotton  and  wheat,  in 
bulk ;  peas,  beans,  millet,  fowls,  eggs,  fruit,  and  whatever  else 
they  may  have  that  is  salable ;  while  those  returning  were 
filled  with  lumber,  passengers,  cotton  cloth,  packages  of  goods, 
hardware  from  Europe,  &c.  Immense  numbers  of  women  and 
children  were  sitting,  sleeping,  or  wandering  about  over  the 
heaped-up  cargoes.  One  man,  perhaps,  was  bowing  himself  in 
prayer,  towards  Mecca ;  all  were  smoking,  while  the  helmsman 
was  the  only  one  who  seemed  to  have  a  care.  It  is  quite  com- 
mon to  see  stout  Arabs  spinning  cotton  or  wool  by  twirling  a 
hand-spindle;  knitting  is  also  one  of  their  feminine  employ- 
ments. Far  more  laborious  pursuits  are  followed  by  females. 
They  are  seen  carrying  mud  up  from  the  canal,  for  building  or 
repairing  hovels,  which  they  fashion  with  their  dirty  hands. 
At  Atfeh  we  first  saw  the  business  of  manufacturing  manure, 
by  females,  in  a  large  way.     They  collect  it  where  cattle  are 


MANNERS   AND   CDST0M3   OF   THE   NATIVES.  41 

most  abundant,  —  buffaloes,  and  perhaps  camels,  —  mix  it  with 
straw,  and,  having  beaten  it  into  sheets  of  uniform  size,  stick 
them  to  the  sides  of  their  hovels  to  dry,  as  an  article  of  mer- 
chandise, for  which  the  demand  is  uniformly  active.  It  is  the 
fuel  for  bakers  to  heat  their  ovens,  and  for  cooking  generally ; 
—  wood  and  charcoal  always  bearing  a  high  price  in  the  inte- 
rior. Wood  appears  to  have  been  scarce  in  the  days  of  mummy- 
making,  from  the  circumstance  that  wooden  cases  by  hundreds 
are  found  manufactured  of  narrow  strips  of  wood,  ingeniously 
dove-tailed  together  with  pins. 

By  the  wash  of  the  water  against  the  sides  of  the  canal,  — 
created  in  part  by  the  steamer  which  runs  backward  and  for- 
ward for  the  Transit  Company,  —  by  the  natural  slides  of  mud 
piled  up  on  the  margin,  and  the  thousands  of  incidental  cir- 
cumstances operating  to  render  shallow  the  canal,  it  has  very 
considerably  narrowed  in  some  places,  and  filled  up  in  others. 
Three  huge  steam  mud-digging  machines  are  constantly  oper- 
ating, to  keep  it  in  good  condition,  by  moving  to  and  fro. 
Wherever  they  happen  to  be  located,  the  mud-carriers  —  who 
take  the  mud  from  the  scow,  into  which  it  falls  from  the  scoop- 
ing buckets,  to  the  top  of  the  bank — have  their  tents,  which 
are  shabby,  comfortless  protections  against  either  wind,  rain,  or 
a  scorching  sun. 

Many  of  the  boats  were  raised  at  their  sides  with  boards 
plastered  to  each  other  with  a  mixture  of  mud  and  manure,  by 
which,  in  a  cargo  that  sunk  the  hull  too  deeply,  the  water  was 
kept  from  the  deck. 

We  had  discovered,  long  before  leaving  the  cana^,  that  no 
Arab  ever  sits  in  a  chair.  They  squat  upon  their  hams, 
wherever  they  may  be,  —  in  doors  or  out.  It  was  a  novelty 
to  view  the  groups  of  half-naked,  ragged  men,  women  aiid-chil-* 
dren,  in  the  passing  boats,  luxuriating  at  full  length  on  the 
4=«= 


42  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

loose  grain  in  bulk,  —  invariably  squatting,  sleeping,  smoking, 
laughing  or  staring.  Before  reaching  Atfeh,  for  three  miles, 
the  canal  is  bordered  with  noble  acacias,  bearing  some  resem- 
blance to  apple-trees.  Their  proximity  to  the  water  gives  them 
an  opportunity  of  being  thoroughly  developed. 

The  dragoman  went  ahead,  accompanied  by  my  resolute 
companions,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  locks  opened,  when 
the  boat  came  up,  without  delay ;  which  operation  might  other- 
wise be  postponed  by  the  slowly-moving  servants  of  his  highness 
till  the  next  day.  Bribes  are  the  "  open  sesame  "  in  Egypt,  as  in 
Rome  and  Naples.  No  matter  what  may  be  proposed,  by  bid- 
ding high  enough,  there  is  always  a  messenger  to  go  wherever 
directed. 

With  the  American  flag  flying  at  the  peak,  and  a  small 
douceur  in  hand,  the  gates  opened  like  a  charm.  Just  as  one 
craft  swung  round  the  corner,  lengthwise,  into  the  rushing  Nile, 
an  upset  boat,  with  a  turbaned  Arab  clinging  to  the  wreck, 
screaming  loudly  for  help,  came  floating  rapidly  by.  Hundreds 
of  smokers  looked  calmly  on,  without  moving  a  finger  to  save 
the  drowning  \vretch,  till  he  was  nearly  out  of  sight  in  a  bend 
of  the  rapid  stream,  when  a  sail-boat  went  in  pursuit.  A  row- 
boat  passed  the  poor,  helpless  fellow,  w^hile  he  was  praying 
piteously  for  assistance,  without  varying  its  course,  or  those  in 
it  apparently  having  their  bowels  of  compassion  moved  in  his 
behalf.  Having  no  yawl,  we  washed  our  hands  of  the  sin  of 
neglect.  Night  came  on  fast,  and  our  last  view  of  the  shame- 
fully-neglected creature  was  indistinct.  It  appeared  that  he 
must  either  be  carried  ultimately  out  to  sea,  or  be  drowned 
before  arriving  there. 

Made  fast  to  the  angle  formed  between  the  river  and  canal, 
we  remained  all  night.  A  tolerable  insight  into  the  construc- 
tion of  the   town  was  gained  by  the  detention.     The  hovels 


EXTRAXCE   UPON    TUK   NILE.  43 

rarely  have  more  than  one  room.  On  one  side  is  a  raised 
place,  broad  and  long  enough  for  spreading  a  mat,  where  the 
inmates  sleep  in  the  clothes  they  wear  by  day.  The  entrance 
is  low,  obliging  them  to  stoop.  Within,  they  are  perfectly 
comfortless,  —  without  furniture,  windows,  or  conveniences. 
Women,  children,  and  earthen  jars,  are  the  ordinary  contents ; 
while  the  flat  roofs  are  tenanted  by  doves,  poultry,  and  dogs. 
Noble,  black-bearded  men,  wearing  milk-white  turbans,  a  large 
blue  shirt,  and  barefooted,  were  frequently  seen  to  enter  these 
tlirty,  dismal,  cheerless  holes.  They  had  expressive  features, 
but  no  intelligence ;  strength,  without  knowing  how  to  use  it ; 
and  poverty,  because  there  is  no  encouragement  for  individual 
enterprise. 

Sometimes  we  had  a  blast  of  wind,  and  then  none  at  all,  which 
last  obliged  the  crew  to  leap  on  shore  with  a  tow-line  w^ith  a 
loop,  divided  at  the  extremity  into  as  many  branches  as  there 
were  men.  At  their  leisure  moments,  individuals  of  the  crew 
made  themselves  nice  bits  of  loop-line,  to  be  knotted  on  the  end 
of  the  tow-rope  when  they  were  ordered  to  pull.  We  frequently 
passed  mud  villages  as  the  boat  ascended  against  a  strong 
angry  current,  that  brought  to  mind  the  Mississippi  in  its  whole 
extent.  Among  others  was  the  very  ancient  site  of  Sais, 
where  was  once  a  mighty  city,  and  the  burying-place  of  kings, 
—  now  covered,  irregularly,  with  mud  hovels.  Mud  dwellings 
occurred  every  few  miles  on  both  sides  of  the  turbulent,  swiftly- 
flowing  Nile,  which,  at  this  point,  appears  much  like  the  Father 
of  Waters  above  and  below  Lake  Pepin.  Islands  were  passed, 
reared  by  the  shifting  currents ;  but,  unlike  those  in  the  upper 
Mississippi,  which  are  covered  with  wood,  those  on  the  Nile 
were  bare.  All  the  potable  water  is  carried  from  the  river,  in 
heavy  stone  jars,  on*the  heads  of  females,  to  each  house  in  the 
village.    Early  in  the  morning,  Arab  girls,  of  from  ten  to  twenty 


44  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

years, —  rarely  older,  —  are  seen  coming  down  across  the  fields, 
generally  in  groups,  for  the  supply  of  the  day.  They  are 
dark,  pretty  tall,  slender-limbed,  with  a  wildness  of  expression 
when  their  faces  are  seen.  Their  bosoms  and  legs  are  unhesi- 
tatingly considerably  exposed ;  but  their  whole  effort  is  to  keep 
the  face  covered.  By  little  and  little,  when  half  a  dozen  of 
them  are  rinsing  the  jugs  at  a  bend  in  the  river,  a  veil  —  with 
them,  a  coarse  piece  of  blue  cotton  —  drops  down,  or  falls  to 
one  side,  being  always  kept  fast  by  the  hand,  exposing  their 
features.  They  stand  there  for  gossip,  and  laugh  merrily  while 
washing  themselves,  previously  to  mounting  the  water-jars 
upon  their  heads,  —  rubbing  themselves  with  the  fat,  unctuous 
mud,  as  we  do  with  soap.  When  filled,  not  unfrequently,  the 
jar  is  so  heavy  that  the  strength  of  two  is  required  to  raise  it  to 
•the  head  of  a  third. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  rats,  busy  as  carpenters  under 
our  heads,  the  boat  was  tolerably  comfortable  at  night.  Im- 
mensely large  cockroaches  would  occasionally  stride  across  the 
ceiling  of  the  cabin,  as  though  on  a  round  of  inspection.  Our 
activity  with  a  cane,  and  their  adroitness  in  eluding  a  deadly 
blow,  convinced  us  that  their  movements  were  the  result  of  a 
reasoning  process,  rather  than  instinct  alone. 

Hassan  was  gone  a  long  while  to  a  village  bazaar,  —  a  lane, 
lined  on  both  sides  by  vendors  of  tobacco,  pipes,  coarse  earthen 
water-filters,  vegetables,  rice  and  fruits,  —  where  he  purchased 
some  butter,  which  he  considered  good,  that  resembled  soap- 
grease  both  in  flavor  and  appearance.  All  the  way  from  Alex- 
andria, mounds  of  earth  indicated  the  sites  of  former  towns. 
These  must  have  been  an  early  invention,  by  the  first  settlers  of 
the  Nile  valley,  to  keep  beyond  the  reach  of  periodical  inun- 
dations. They  are  from  thirty  to  sixty,  artd  perhaps  some  may 
be  a  hundred  feet   high.     One  or  two  mosques   are  usually 


ASCENT   OF   THE   NILE.  45 

met  with  in  large  villages,  —  the  minarets  always  of  the  same 
pattern,  slender  and  tall.  The  body  of  a  mosque  is  ordinarily 
square,  of  one  story,  with  a  small  entrance-door,  and  a  few  small 
windows.  There  are  one,  two,  and  three  terraces  to  each  min- 
aret, the  shaft  becoming  smaller  above  each.  A  small  pear- 
shaped  dome,  surmounted  by  a  crescent,  completes  it.  Small 
wooden  cranes,  —  or,  rather,  figure-fours,  —  from  which  lights 
are  suspended  on  feast-days  and  other  glorifications,  project  from 
the  roofs,  the  domes,  or  caps,  of  the  minarets.  At  four  o'clock, 
precisely,  a  priest,  or,  more  commonly,  a  blind  man,  calls  the 
faithful  to  prayers. 

Tombs  of  Mohammedan  saints  are  frequently  met  with. 
When  seen  at  a  distance  over  the  broad  expanse  of  intervening 
fields,  the  effect  is  fine.  They  are  small  square  piles  of  stone, 
laid  up  in  mortar,  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  on  a  side,  surmounted 
by  a  dome,  which  is  whitewashed.  A  large  part  of  the  modern 
mosques  are  of  brick.  They  are  not  unfrequently  near  ceme- 
teries ;  and  such,  too,  is  the  case  in  respect  to  the  tombs  of 
sheiks  and  saints.  When  these  last  are  in  burying-grounds, 
it  is  common  for  the  devout  to  enter  them  for  prayer. 

As  we  began  to  ascend  the  Nile,  our  crew  exhibited  more  of 
their  true  character.  At  first  there  was  evident  restraint  upon 
them,  from  the  presence  of  strangers ;  but  they  finally  observed 
a  methodical  course,  that  may  be  calculated  upon  each  return- 
ing day.  They  prayed,  individually,  five  times  a  day,  with 
their  faces  towards  Mecca.  Let  what  might  be  going  on, 
nothing  could  divert  their  solemn  attention  from  the  business 
the)''  had  commenced.  They  kneeled,  and  three  times  touched 
their  foreheads  to  the  floor.  When  one  had  finished  his  genu- 
flexions, another  commenced ;  and  sometimes  two  or  three  at 
once,  if  they  could  be  spared  from  duty.  In  the  very  midst  of 
a  difficulty,  in  trimming  the  sail,  that  required  his  practised 


46 


A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 


eye,  the  reis  never  turned  his  head  towards  the  fluttering 
sheet  till  his  religious  duties  had  been  brought  to  a  deliberate 
close, 

I  have  often  felt  reproached,  coming  from  a  Christian  country 
to  a  professedly  unchristian  one,  when  witnessing  the  fervent 
piety  of  those  whom  we  are  taught  to  pity  for^heir  profound 
ignorance  and  spiritual  blindness. 


POSTURES   OF   PRATER. 


While  passing  a  little  fleet  of  boats,  made  fast  to  the  bank,  a 
man  of  excellent  appearance  —  so  far  as  a  turban  and  a  heavy 
black  beard  impart  dignity  —  was  vociferating,  with  great  Arabic 
volubility,  while  another,  with  a  bit  of  paper  in  his  hand,  made 
a  motion,  when,  instantly,  the  orator  was  thrown  upon  his  face 
by  an  obedient  circle  of  spectators,  and  there  held  firmly,  till 
eleven  blows,  severe  and  terrible,  were  given  with  a  small  rope. 
He  screamed  in  an  agony  that  distressed  me.    When  liberated. 


A    DANCE   ON    BOABD.  47 

he  picked  up  his  turban,  adjusted  his  disordered  long  blue  shirt, 
and  went  on  board  one  of  the  boats.  Hassan  said  the  man 
punished  was  the  head  of  a  village,  who  had  been  directed  to 
have  a  certain  amount  of  labor  performed,  somewhere,  for  the 
pacha,  which  not  having  been  accomplished  when  the  inspector 
arrived,  was  the  cause  of  the  inhuman  punishment  to  which  he 
had  been  subjected. 

When  the  tax-gatherer  calls  for  revenue  that  has  been 
assessed,  and  it  is  not  promptly  paid,  the  delinquent  is  flogged 
on  the  spot  by  the  sheik  of  the  village,  and  subsequently 
imprisoned.  For  the  crime  of  being  too  poor,  he  is  flogged  but 
once,  and  incarcerated  from  one  to  three  months ;  or,  if  recruits 
are  needed  in  the  army  or  navy,  he  is  marched  oft'  where  his 
services  are  required,  and  that  is  the  last  of  him.  A  discharge 
is  out  of  the  question,  however  long  or  meritorious  may  have 
been  the  career  of  the  impressed  subject.  In  the  other  case, 
the  debtor  to  the  state  is  flogged  at  certain  intervals  of  time, 
till  the  money  is  received  at  the  treasury,  which  the  relations 
contrive  to  raise  before  he  is  quite  killed. 

Much  pleasure  was  manifested,  one  day,  by  the  crew,  on 
account  of  a  favorable  breeze  that  sprang  up  when  they  were 
fatigued  with  a  tedious  pull  at  the  tow-rope ;  and  this  was  shown 
in  a  native  dance  near  the  bow.  One  of  the  boatmen  —  a  sour, 
one-eyed  fellow  —  had  the  reputation  of  being  an  excellent 
musician.  His  name  was  Mohammed,  a  patronymic  of  a  large 
proportion  of  the  lower  orders  in  all  Mohammedan  countries. 
The  instrument  on  which  he  performed  was  called  a  zumarah, 
made  by  himself,  of  two  parallel  pieces  of  reed,  fourteen  inches 
long  by  half  an  inch  in  diamettr,  bound  together  by  twine. 
In  the  upper  end  were  two  vibrating  reeds,  similar  to  those 
in  a  hautboy.  On  each  tube  were  five  finger-holes,  side  by 
side,  which  were  covered  by  two  fingers  of  the  left  hand  and 


48  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

three  of  the  right,  while  he  blew  in  at  the  squeaking  reeds. 
In  order  to  produce  a  sound,  it  required  a  vast  pectoral  exertion, 
straining  his  eyes  from  their  sockets  fearfull)\  The  sound  was 
shockingly  harsh  and  unmusical.  There  was  no  specific  air, 
but  a  discordant  tooting,  which  was  keenly  relished  by  the 
excited  crew,  who  clapped  their  hands  in  unison,  and  moved 
their  feet  by  jerks,  notwithstanding  they  w'ere  all  seated  fiat 
on  the  deck.  It  was  an  obscene  exhibition,  without  any  shuffle 
of  the  feet,  when  one  of  them  rose  for  the  dance. 

We  were  not  many  hours  in  discovering  that  the  Arab  boat- 
men are  a  patient,  honest,  civil,  indefatigable  race.  When  a 
reis,  or  captain,  takes  a  crew  for  an  up-river  voyage,  the  ordi- 
nary pay  is  not  far  from  two  piastres,  or  ten  cents,  a  day.  A 
pilot  —  always  at  the  helm,  night  and  day,  when  the  boat  is 
moving,  acting  as  sailing-master  also — has  the  wages  of  a  man 
and  a  half,  or  fifteen  cents  per  day.  Their  stock  of  provisions 
consists  of  a  bag  of  stale  black  bread,  broken  into  pieces,  and  some 
beans,  together  with  extra  purchases  of  a  few  thin  sheets  of  soft 
bread,  baked  in  hot  ashes,  procured  on  shore  whenever  we 
hauled  up  for  a  stop.  They  had  an  earthen  jar  to  settle  the 
water  in,  another  for  boiling  their  food  till  it  was  converted  into 
a  thick,  soft  mush,  and  a  single  pan  to  pour  it  into  when  ready. 
There  was  but  one  wooden  spoon  among  them  all.  Sometimes 
one  had  it,  and  sometimes  another.  The  boy  who  acted  as 
cook  stirred  the  pot  with  it,  and  tasted,  to  ascertain  when  it  was 
soft  enough,  with  the  same  useful  instrument;  and  thus  it  was 
always  in  requisition.  There  was  neither  a  knife,  fork,  axe, 
hammer,  nail,  nor  anchor,  on  board. 

When  the  wind  failed,  all  hands  sprang  to  the  bank  with  the 
end  of  the  rope,  for  towing.  When  necessity  obliged  us  to  stop, 
—  for  there  were  safe  and  unsafe  places  for  hauling  up  for  the 
night,  —  a  wooden  pin  was  driven  into  the  mud  by  a  big  beetle, 


ANOTHER   DANCE.  49 

bound  with  leather  rings  to  keep  it  from  splitting.  Making  the 
boat  fast  to  the  pin,  a  watch  was  set,  and  we  retired.  Twice  a 
day  the  men  sat  round  the  broad  pan  of  hodge-podge,  and  washed 
it  down,  with  a  capital  relish,  with  Nile  water.  The  reis  main- 
tained a  show  of  superiority,  by  having  a  mat  to  sit  upon.  Each 
man  invariably  squatted  flat  on  the  deck,  the  moment  he  was 
able  to  do  so.  The  pilot,  when  at  his  post,  had  his  food  carried 
to  him;  and  the  reis  usually  sat  apart  from  the  men,  but  not 
always.  He  never  appeared  to  have  anything  to  do,  and  was 
really  a  supernumerary.  Through  the  aid  of  Hassan,  he  man- 
aged to  get  one  pretty  good  meal  out  of  us  daily.  With  no 
thought  for  the  morrow,  he  sat  through  the  twelve  hours,  con- 
templating nothing;  but  rose  punctually  for  prayers  five  times  a 
day,  —  drank  strong  coffee,  thick  as  Nile  mud,  without  sugar, 
anismoked  perpetually. 

Having  passed  Dessook,  another  dance  was  projected,  the 
pilot — a  respectable,  grave  man,  of  forty-five  —  being  the 
principal  actor.  High  expectations  of  his  performance  were 
evidently  entertained,  when  he  took  a  position,  barefooted,  to 
begin.  Extra  strength  was  exerted  to  make  sufficient  melody, 
while  the  pilot  assumed,  as  far  as  possible,  the  attitudes  of  a 
dancing  girl.  He  raised  first  one  and  then  the  other  hip  sur- 
prisingly high,  and  twisted  his  spine  as  though  it  were  made  of 
India-rubber.  It  soon  began  to  be  eminently  disgusting,  and 
we  turned  away.  His  companions,  however,  expressed  their 
extreme  gratification  by  roars  of  laughter.  Even  Hassan, 
with  his  cultivated  taste,  considered  it  prodigiously  funny. 
Abuzed  condescended  to  withdraw  the  pipe-stem  occasionally, 
and  smile  gracfously.  One  of  the  sailors  next  stripped,  put 
on  a  pointed  felt,  chocolate-colored  cap,  and  a  pair  of  white 
cotton  pantaloons,  which  some  traveller  had  given  him,  —  a 
garment  they  rarely  wear,  —  and,  taking  a  rope-whip,  flew 
5 


50  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

about  with  extraordinary  dexterity,  cracking  it  violently,  and 
thrashing  the  legs  of  all  who  could  be  reached  with  it ;  and 
then  commenced  an  extemporaneous  farce,  which  consisted  of 
two  acts.  One  of  his  comrades  personified  a  female.  There 
was  something  of  a  dialogue, — simple,  indeed,  and  quite  beneath 
the  intelligence  of  any  European  child ;  thus :  "  Why  don't 
you  dance  ?  "  Then  the  waggish  interlocutor  snapped  the  lash 
with  power.  The  reis  and  crew-spectators  were  apparently 
all  but  convulsed  with  the  wit  of  repartee,  and  inimitable  resem- 
blance of  the  actor  to  a  woman.  Little  as  we  could  discover 
of  mirth-provoking  material  in  the  offensive,  nay,  disgusting 
jerkings  and  protrusions  of  the  abdomen,  they  continued  to 
laugh  with  a  vehemence  that  actually  brought  tears.  An 
Arab  woman,  dipping  water,  with  her  toes  in  the  stream,  as  the 
boat  was  passing  at  a  snail  pace,  noticed  what  was  doing, 
which,  to  her  crude  conceptions  of  wit,  was  so  inimitably  fine, 
that  she  laughed  too,  heartily,  showing  a  row  of  white  teeth 
that  no  dentist  could  match. 

One-eyed  people  began  to  thicken,  and  therefore  attracted 
less  attention  than  at  first.  A  large  proportion  of  the  laborers 
on  the  land  have  lost  a  fore-finger  of  the  right  hand,  and  not 
unfrequently  one  or  two  front  teeth  of  the  right  side  of  the 
upper  jaw.  The  deficit  in  both  cases  was  voluntary,  —  to  be 
unsuitable  for  the  army  :  —  without  the  missing  finger,  theoreti- 
cally, the  trigger  of  a  gun  could  not  be  pulled,  nor  a  cartridge- 
cap  torn  off  without  teeth.  The  farmers  are  exceedingly  in- 
dustrious, to  all  appearance,  but  conduct  their  business  under 
peculiar  disadvantages.  Their  tools  are  very  miserable,  and 
quite  unsuitable.  The  ploughs  are  wretched ;  the  team  that 
draws  them,  worse  still  ;  while  the  principal  tool  for  all 
work  is  a  heavy  hoe,  shaped  like  a  carpenter's  adze,  with  a 
handle  rarely  more  than  two  feet  long.     The  operator  is  com- 


CURRENT   OF   TIIK   NILE.  51 

pelled  to  stoop  almost  double  to  use  it,  —  giving  him  precisely 
the  attitude  of  the  ancient  Egj'ptians,  as  portrayed  in  the  tombs 
and  sculptured  monuments.  A  team,  composed  of  a  cow  and 
an  ass,  or  an  ox  and  a  camel,  made  fast  to  a  yoke,  perfectly 
straight,  ten  feet  apart,  appears  singularly  absurd,  dragging  a 
plough  that  is  but  little  superior  to  a  crooked  limb  of  a  tree. 
The  fields  they  were  preparing  for  seed  were  excessively 
muddy,  having  the  appearance  of  having  recently  been  flooded ; 
consequently,  the  soil  was  provokingly  adhesive  to  their  feet,  and 
clogged  the  coulter  to  a  degree  that  required  frequent  halts  to 
clear  it.  Both  sides  of  the  river  present  machines  for  raising 
water,  of  the  clumsiest  imaginable  description.  Some  are 
large,  clumsy  wheels,  turned  by  a  bullock,  and  carrying  on  the 
periphery  a  chain  of  earthen  jars.  On  coming  up  full,  the  con- 
tents are  poured  into  a  mud  trench,  from  whence  it  runs  off 
towards  the  place  to  be  irrigated.  Another  method  is  by  the 
common  pole  and  bucket ;  a  slow  and  laborious  process,  and 
excessively  severe,  where  men,  under  a  burning  sun,  quite 
naked,  are  drawing  up  water,  for  the  same  object,  the  whole 
time. 

All  my  observations,  thus  far,  on  the  lower  Nile,  below  its 
bifurcation  into  two  branches,  prove  it  to  be  a  rapid,  turbid 
river.  The  banks  all  the  way  up  to  within  twenty-five  or  thirty 
miles  of  Cairo  are  nearly  perpendicular,  —  appearing  as  though 
cut  down  with  spades.  Boats  of  the  largest  class  glide  within 
three  feet  of  them  without  touching  bottom.  This  indicates  a 
deep  channel,  which,  unfortunately,  we  had  not  the  apparatus 
for  sounding.  In  throwing  out  a  fish-line,  heavily  leaded,  when 
lying  by  the  bank,  such  was  the  force  of  the  current,  that  in  a 
twinkling  it  was  floated  out  to  the  surface.  It  could  not  be 
kept  long  enough  in  one  place  for  a  fish  to  nibble.  Per- 
haps, however,   short   turns    modified  verj'  considerably  the 


52  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

momentum ;  and  upon  the  opposite  side,  where  this  velocity 
was  remarkable,  there  might  have  been  only  a  slow,  sluggish 
movement. 

At  some  distance  from  the  river-banks, —  often  a  mile  or  more, 
— are  -  artificial  ridges,  or  embankments  of  earth, — upon  an 
average,  perhaps,  ten  feet  high,  —  to  prevent  the  swollen  river,  at 
its  annual  rise,  from  flooding  the  country  too  extensively,  which 
is  lower  than  the  banks  of  the  river  in  many  places.  Sluices 
are  cut  through  the  barriers,  commanded  by  rude  gates,  through 
which  the  grounds  beyond  are  irrigated.  There  are,  too,  in 
many  localities,  immense  mud-wall  enclosures,  in  which  the 
water  is  fenced  in,  to  be  let  out,  as  necessity  may  require, 
after  the  fall  of  the  river.  One  of  the  prime  considerations 
with  every  inhabitant  is  to  obtain  water,  and  it  therefore  con- 
stitutes a  prominent  subject  of  conversation  with  laborers,  and 
those  interested  in  crops.  Whatever  there  is  of  prosperity  for 
Eg}^pt  solely  and  exclusively  depends  on  that  one  element. 

We  stopped  at  a  mud  town  for  dates,  where  many  large 
boats  were  taking  in  cotton.  The  bazaar  was  a  short,  dirty 
street,  coA^ered  over  head  with  old  mats  and  brvish,  to  exclude 
the  sun's  rays.  Onions,  dates,  tobacco,  and  soft,  pancake 
sheets  of  bread,  eggs  and  melons,  were  the  principal  articles 
of  traffic,  —  the  sellers  all  sitting  by  their  effects,  cross-legged, 
gravely  smoking,  while  waiting  for  customers.  The  town  was 
densely  stocked  with  very  common  people ;  and  the  females 
lounging  round  their  huts,  sitting  in  the  shade  of  a  rickety 
wall,  or  carrying  water,  were  poorly  clad  in  a  single  loose 
blue  garment,  and  singularly  tattooed  on  their  chins.  From 
the  margin  of  the  under  lip  to  the  under  side  of  the  chin,  the 
soot  of  the  castor-bean,  or  India  ink,  had  been  so  freely  pricked 
in,  as  to  resemble  a  piece  of  blue  ribbon,  an  inch  in  width.     On 


■I'  A  T  T  ()  ()  r.\)      G  I  It  I, .     I',i^'<-  .-,.■ 


ANCIENT   EGYPTIANS.  55 

the  arms  of  some  of  them  queer  devices  were  drawn,  with  the 
same  never-washout  material. 

"We  were  constantly  passing  boats  of  all  dimensions, 
crowded  to  their  utmost  capacity  with  men,  women,  children, 
hens,  turkeys,  geese,  doves  and  donkeys.  On  some  of  the 
grain-boats,  lots  of  half-naked  persons  were  seen  dozing  under 
the  protection  of  coarse  straw  mats.  "When  we  came  to  a  cut 
in  the  river-bank,  to  let  the  water  off  laterally,  our  bronzed- 
colored  fresh-water  sailors  stripped  off  their  only  covering, 
which  they  balanced  on  their  heads,  and  fearlessly  plunged  in 
with  the  end  of  the  tow-line,  swam  or  waded  across,  and,  on 
coming  out  on  the  opposite  side,  tugged  away  again. 

The  more  I  analyzed  their  figures,  and  their  positions  in  the 
various  labors  in  which  the  people  are  engaged,  the  more 
forcibly  was  I  struck  with  the  resemblance  of  these  long, 
slender-limbed  natives,  to  the  attitudes  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians,  pictured  on  mummy-cases,  and  in  the  tombs.  All  they 
require  is  a  wig,  to  be  identically  like  them.  It  is  a  modern 
discovery,  that  those  who  were  presented  by  embalming,  perhaps 
by  millions,  in  the  mummy-pits,  actually  wore  artificial  hair. 
Their  own  was  shorn  off,  no  doubt,  precisely  as  it  is  now  uni- 
versally practised  throughout  all  Egj'pt.  This  explains  the 
clumsy,  ungainly  appearance  of  their  heads,  saturated  and 
betangled  with  bituminous  compounds.  Wherever  an  attempt 
was  made,  by  the  artists  of  three,  four,  and  I  know  not  but 
more  thousands  of  years  ago,  to  represent  an  Egj'ptian, — 
whether  king,  priest  or  peasant,  —  the  hair  is  always  the  same 
mass  of  heavy  locks,  matted  down  by  the  side  of  the  ears  and 
back  of  the  neck.  Females  escaped  the  expense  and  hideous 
appearance  of  wigs,  and  wore  their  own  hair,  in  whatever  man- 
ner they  chose.  To  my  apprehension,  if  the  turban  were  taken 
away,  the  ordinary  dress  of  the  common  people  does  not  differ 


56  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

essentially,  and  their  manners  deviate  but  slightly,  from  those 
who  occupied  the  lands  in  the  days  of  the  Pharaohs. 

There  are  no  farm-houses,  insulated,  or  in  clusters  ;  the 
inhabitants  of  a  district  invariably  huddle  together  on  the 
old  mounds,  which  are  just  high  enough  to  keep  them  from 
being  drowned.  There  would  be  no  safety  in  being  the  ten- 
ant of  a  lone  residence,  since  the  prowling  wanderers  of  the 
deserts  would  assuredly  lay  them  under  contribution  at  an 
unexpected  moment.  Besides,  were  a  house  built  anywhere 
in  a  field,  it  would  certainly  be  swept  away ;  and,  if  carried 
far  enough  back  from  the  river  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
impetuous  stream,  it  would  necessarily  be  placed  on  the  edge 
of  the  desert,  exposed  to  the  marauding  attacks  of  men,  wild, 
ferocious  and  ungovernable. 

All  the  mounds  appear  to  be  old.  No  new  ones  are  con- 
structed ;  nor  is  there  any  necessity  of  doing  so,  since  there  is 
room  in  abundance  for  a  vast  increase  of  population  on  those 
artificial  hill-tops. 

Near  the  brink  of  the  river,  still  further  onward  towards  the 
capital,  I  saw  a  camel  and  a  buffalo  yoked  together,  ploughing. 
It  was  a  supremely  awkward  team.  In  Belgium  it  is  no 
uncommon  sight  for  two  cows  to  draw  by  their  horns ;  or,  in 
Switzerland,  an  ass  and  cow  to  be  harnessed  together ;  but  this 
comical  combination  of  brute  strength  of  the  camel  and  bufl!alo 
was  extremely  ludicrous. 

A  pole  full  twelve  feet  long  was  laid  across  their  necks,  — 
the  animals  being  all  of  nine  feet  apart ;  in  the  middle,  a  palm- 
leaf  rope  was  made  fast,  attached  to  an  apology  for  a  plough. 
Farmers  in  any  agricultural  section  of  the  United  States  would 
be  astonished,  were  they  present,  to  see  how  fine  a  furrow  can 
be  turned  with  such  a  strangely-crooked  stick,  —  nearly  equal 
to  those  made  by  a  patent  plough.     The  surface  of  the  arable 


ASCENT   OF    THE   NILE.  j57 

land  was  hard  and  sun-baked,  where  the  water  was  not  par- 
tially covering  it,  and  not  light  or  mellow.  Where  crops  were 
growing,  especially  Indian  corn,  the  water  stood  in  sheets, 
which  turned  the  soil  into  a  soft  adhesive  mud,  in  which  the 
laborer  sunk  up  to  his  ankles. 

At  another  point  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  still  proceeding 
slowly  onward,  we  made  a  brief  stop  close  to  a  town,  where  was 
a  perfect  jam  of  naked  children  and  vociferating  women,  urging 
the  sale  of  their  soft  hot  bread,  by  the  side  of  piles  of  coarse 
pottery,  such  as  pans,  water-filters  and  other  kinds  of  dishes,  of 
a  primitive  character.  On  leaving,  we  next  passed  long  fields 
of  corn,  millet,  yams  and  other  coarse  vegetables.  Watering 
machines  became  plentj',  at  shorter  intervals,  turned  both  by 
oxen  and  men.  The  well-pole  system,  with  the  roughest, 
poorest  combination  of  apparatus  imaginable,  must  be  a  labori- 
ous mode  of  obtaining  water.  The  bucket  was  either  a  basket, 
a  bit  of  matting  gathered  in,  or  a  piece  of  skin,  from  which 
half  the  water  spilled  out  before  it  was  upset  into  the  mud- 
trough.  All  along  on  the  tops  of  the  houses,  in  another  vil- 
lage, there  were  literally  towers  of  dung-cakes,  the  size  of 
ordinary  dining-plates,  drying  for  future  use  or  sale.  They 
were  stocks  of  fuel.  Repeatedly  we  passed  herds  of  bufllaloes 
enjoying  a  bath  in  the  Nile,  —  every  part  of  their  bodies  but 
their  nostrils  being  concealed  under  water.  Some  of  them 
were  wise  in  keeping  their  eyes  above  the  surface,  as  sentinels 
for  their  careless  or  more  luxurious  friends.  They  called  up 
the  idea  of  the  hippopotami,  which  may  yet  be  met  with  in  the 
upper  regions  of  Nubia ;  and  with  respect  to  color,  a  dead 
leaden  hue,  it  is  quite  like  that  of  the  river  horse,  one  of  which 
I  saw  in  London,  —  the  first  and  only  one  ever  brought  alive 
to  Europe.  The  frequent  repetition  of  this  cooling  process  of 
the  buffaloes  and  other  cattle,  recalled  Pharaoh's  dream  of  the 


58  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

lean  and  the  fat  kine  that  came  up.  No  doubt,  in  his  day,  the 
ancestors  of  these  very  domesticated  animals  bathed  precisely 
in  the  same  manner,  and,  perhaps,  near  where  the  monarch,  in 
the  unquiet  slumbers  of  the  night,  imagined  he  saw  them  come 
up  out  of  the  water ;  for  this  was  not  very  far  from  Sais,  the 
great  city  and  burial-place  of  the  ancient  kings  of  Egj^t. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day,  —  the  date  is  not 
essential,  —  we  came  in  sight  of  two  of  the  great  pyramids  of 
Geezeh.  Had  not  the  pilot  informed  us  what  they  were,  they 
would  have  been  taken  for  stacks  of  grain,  as  they  were  not 
expected,  and,  withal,  were  so  small  —  owing  to  the  distance 
—  that  it  could  hardly  be  credited  they  were  the  mighty  mon- 
uments  of  which  the  world  had  been  ringing  thousands  of 


years.  I  was  exceedingly  disappointed  at  their  diminished 
altitude.  Still,  although  at  many  miles'  distance,  Hassan  said 
the  boat  might  reach  Boulac  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  if 
a  good  strong  wind  should  spring  into  the  sail. 

The  capricious  and  feeble  winds  wholly  gave  out  before  the 
longed-for  hour,  which  obliged  the  crew  to  tug  at  the  tow-line 
till  nearly  ten  o'clock,  when  the  reis  ordered  the  boat  to  be 
secured  to  the  bank,  where  we  laid  till  just  before  morning. 


HASSAN    ISMEME.  §fi 

The  sun  rose  in  resplendent  beauty,  showing  the  glory  of  God 
in  a  way  to  impress  even  a  Moslem  mind  with  sentiments  of 
devotional  admiration.  No  wonder  there  were  sun-worship- 
pers, on  that  side  of  the  globe,  in  the  early  history  of  our  race, 
if  its  brilliant  rays  darted  off  with  the  same  inimitable  display 
of  golden  radiance  that  characterizes  its  rising  and  setting  in 
this  old  age  of  the  world  ! 

For  fear  of  contracting  or  developing  ophthalmia,  —  the 
dreaded  evil,  of  universal  prevalence  in  Egj-pt,  —  we  avoided 
reading  much  in  the  evening.  Should  a  dr}'ness  and  smarting 
be  felt  in  the  organs  of  vision,  or  their  appendages,  a  frequent 
dashing  of  cold  water  upon  them  affords  permanent,  and  some- 
times quite  speedy,  relief.  Those  who  may  follow  on  the 
same  track,  and  who  are  consequently  liable  to  the  same  kind 
of  evils,  in  the  form  of  diseases  only  slight  at  the  worst,  are 
cautioned  not  to  fly  instantly  to  medicine  for  every  trifling 
ache  or  soreness  they  may  discover.  Above  all,  never  resort 
to  eye-waters  which  may  have  been  recommended,  without 
reference  to  the  form  of  inflammation  that  may  exist.  An 
unremitting  application  of  cold  water,  by  laying  saturated 
pledgets  over  the  orbits,  is  generally  successful  in  subduing  it. 

There  was  a  period  when  our  movement  up  stream  was  so 
verj'  slow,  and  our  eagerness  to  be  at  the  pyramids  —  the  won- 
der of  wonders,  which  occupied  my  thoughts  in  the  comer,  in 
my  boyhood  —  so  intense,  that  the  remaining  stock  of  patience 
waxed  low,  and,  by  way  of  pastime,  Hassan  Ismeme,  the  drag- 
oman, was  called  aft  to  relate  his  adventures,  or,  rather,  to 
relate  where  he  had  been,  —  his  calling  being  that  of  a  guide 
in  the  East.  Had  any  person,  possessing  the  faculty  of  ready 
expression,  seen  but  half  that  had  greeted  Hassan's  eyes,  he 
would  have  been  the  author  of  thrilling  octavos.  I  scarcely 
know  where  he  had  not  been.     He  spoke  Arabic,  his  vemacu- 


60  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

lar,  fluently,  of  course  ;  English  he  was  very  tolerable  in ;  and 
then  there  were  certain  Nubian  or  up-river  dialects  at  his 
tongue's  end.  He  was  a  clever  fellow,  —  dressy,  had  a  wife  at 
Alexandria,  as  before  mentioned,  and  another  at  Luxor,  directly 
opposite  Thebes ;  for  the  necessities  of  both  we  advanced  him 
money.  He  said  frankly  that  he  liked  the  Alexandrian  one 
best  of  the  two.  Had  we  gone  to  Dongola,  a  relay  of  wives 
might  have  been  stationed  all  the  way.  One  of  his  wives  had 
a  son,  and  the  other  a  daughter;  but  the  mother  of  the  boy 
was  a  jewel,  as  all  women  are  who  have  the  good  fortune  to 
liave  a  male  child,  in  all  parts  of  the  Orient.  His  leading 
ambition  was  to  go  to  Mecca,  that  he  might  have  the  honor 
which  is  conceded  to  one  who  has  walked  seven  times  round 
the  tomb  of  the  prophet.  Nothing  but  his  limited  circum- 
stances, he  said,  prevented  him  from  going ;  "  but,  please 
God,"  he  continued,  "  I  hope  to  get  there  yet."  I  offered  to 
take  him  there,  provided  he  would  insure  me  a  safe  trip.  He 
immediately  raised  an  objection  to  the  proposition,  by  saying 
that  the  pilgrimage  would  not  be  efficacious  to  him  were  it 
made  by  a  Moslem  in  the  capacity  of  a  servant;  he  must 
approach  the  Caaba  in  the  dignity  of  a  gentleman,  or  not  at  all. 
Further,  he  observed,  it  would  be  attended  with  too  much  haz- 
ard to  a  Christian,  for  were  he  detected  in  gratifying  an  impi- 
ous curiosity,  his  fate  would  be  inevitably  sealed.  One  other 
pious  aspiration  —  associated,  in  his  mind,  with  the  idea  of 
acceptable  service  to  the  Deity,  and  in  accordance  with  the 
usages  of  society  —  was  the  circumcision  of  his  son,  who,  as 
previously  related,  was  about  eight  years  old,  and  still  remained 
without  the  mark  of  affiliation  into  the  brotherhood  of  true 
believers. 

The  boat  proved  to  be  so  comfortable,  that  we  entertained 


BRIDGE   ACROSS   THE   LOWER   NILE.  61 

the  idea  of  bargaining  for  it  to  ascend  the  river  as  far  as  it 
might  be  an  object  to  proceed. 

Discovering  two  chickens,  bound  together  by  the  legs,  under 
deck,  their  pitiable  condition  led  me  to  plead  for  their  libera- 
tion with  those  who  were  owners  with  me  in  the  joint-stock 
company.  On  loosing  the  cord,  it  was  obvious  that  the  liga- 
ture had  completely  paralyzed  a  leg  of  each.  A  course  of  sur- 
gical treatment  was  forthwith  commenced,  the  results  of  which 
were  particularly  gratifying  to  a  practitioner  without  business. 
Once  or  twice,  the  flexor  muscles  refusing  to  act,  it  was  neces- 
sary, in  the  evening,  to  assist  one  of  them  to  re-roost,  as  the 
brisk,  bustling  fellow  —  a  cock  —  occasionally  tumbled  off. 
Matters  were  progressing  favorably  for  his  recovery,  and  exhil- 
arating to  the  vanity  of  the  operator,  when  a  sad  event  occurred. 
My  pleasure  in  the  daily  improvement  of  the  little  feathered 
invalids  was  sincere.  To  my  consternation,  on  sitting  down 
to  the  dinner-table,  one  day,  both  my  patients  were  taken, 
smoking  hot,  from  a  pot !  It  was  a  gratification,  however,  — 
they  were  so  abominably  tough,  —  that  only  one  of  them  had 
his  bones  picked  by  the  company. 

We  were  visibly  nearing  the  pyramids,  —  they  were  said 
to  be  only  nine  miles  distant,  —  when  the  boat  came  up  to  the 
barrage,  or  bridge  across  the  Nile.  It  is  a  beautiful  struc- 
ture, built  by  a  French  engineer,  where  the  channel  is  both 
deep  and  intensely  rapid.  The  arches  are  of  large.,  heavy 
brick,  neatly  turned,  the  feet  of  which  stand  in  iron  boxes, 
which  were  sunk  thirty  feet  in  the  mud,  below  the  water,  before 
striking  a  hard  bottom.  From  the  foundation  to  the  top  of  the 
arch  is  ninety  feet.  A  smaller  bridge  is  carried  in  the  same 
manner  over  the  Damietta  branch,  near  by,  to  the  eastward  of 
this  curious  piece  of  staunch  mechanism.  I  examined  a  mon- 
strous diving-bell,  in  which  sixty  men  were  lowered  down 
6 


62  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

together,  to  do  the  subaquatic  masonry.  Pile-driving  machines, 
mud-digging  apparatus,  —  worked  by  steam,  —  and  machinery 
of  various  kinds,  suitable  for  carrying  on  a  heavy  business, 
were  lying  at  different  points.  There  were  great  mounds  of 
stone,  bricks,  timber,  and  other  materials;  and  laborers,  soldiers, 
carts,  horses,  boats,  mules  and  slaves,  in  abundance,  which 
gave  an  air  of  activity,  for  miles  around.  Six  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  undertaking  was  commenced,  by  direction  of 
the  late  Mohammed  Ali. 

Above  the  bridge,  on  either  side,  where  the  abutments  are 
erected  in  an  alluvial  foundation,  the  banks  are  very  securely 
paved  with  flat  stones  and  brick,  cemented  together,  to  prevent 
the  action  of  the  water  from  washing  away  the  pier-heads. 
Large  gates  are  to  be  placed  between  the  arches^  which,  on 
being  closed,  will  instantly  dam  up  the  river,  and  it  will  conse- 
quently set  back,  and  thus  flood  an  immense  expanse  of  coun- 
try. By  closing  the  gates  on  both  river  branches,  no  water 
could  pass  down  the  channel,  till  a  perfect  lake  is  formed.  A 
gigantic  scheme  of  irrigation  was  contemplated  by  this  plan, 
besides  having  it  always  within  the  power  of  the  government 
to  fill  the  great  reservoirs  for  local  supply,  remote  from  the 
river.  Over  the  bridge  a  railroad  track  was  contemplated. 
This  is  believed  to  be  the  first  bridge  ever  attempted  on  the 
lower  Nile.  So  immensely  costly  must  have  been  the  enter- 
prise thus  far,  that  it  indicates  far  more  ample  resources 
than  it  was  previously  supposed  could  have  been  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  old  pasha.  In  the  course  of  my  investigations, 
while  walking  about  the  bridge,  an  engineer  from  England, 
who  was  attached  to  the  monster  diving-bell,  furnished  some 
statistical  information  in  relation  to  the  views  and  intentions 
of  the  originator  of  the  plan,  whose  energy  gave  an  impulse 


#, 


BRIDGE   ACROSS   THE   NILE.  63 


to  every  enterprise  he  undertook ;  but  fears  are  now  entertained 
that  it  will  never  be  completed.  Only  a  few  arches  more  are 
to  be  constructed,  to  give  a  clear,  safe  road  from  one  side  of 
the  river  to  the  other.  At  present  it  is  in  no  way  serviceable, 
either  for  travel  or  as  a  dam.  When  my  survey  was  insti- 
tuted,—  that  is,  when  the  following  items  were  gathered, — 
the  Nile  had  fallen  nearly  to  its  lowest  level,  leaving  a  depth 
of  thirty  feet  of  water,  and  of  soft  mud  below,  thirty  more. 
The  length  of  the  piers  is  ninety  feet,  thirty  of  which  are  above 
the  surface.  In  1849  there  were  twenty-five  thousand  men 
employed  on  it ;  but,  towards  the  close  of  1850,  the  number 
was  reduced  to  two  thousand,  in  consequence  of  a  want  of 
means.  Every  three  months  the  governor  of  a  district  was 
called  upon  for  a  definite  number  of  villagers  for  this  station  ; 
they  were  promiscuously  impressed,  and  sent  on.  Their  daily 
pay  was  equal  to  seven  cents  only,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
find  their  own  food  as  they  could.  It  is  a  cruel  service ;  and 
the  men  are  neither  fitted  by  knowledge  or  capacity'  for  con- 
ducting a  business  in  which  they  have  had  no  experience. 
They  are  reluctant  servitors  ;  and  desertions,  theft,  —  to  sat- 
isfy the  appetite,  —  and  the  hardships,  provocations  and  severe 
treatment  they  are  uninterruptedly  receiving,  rendered  it  neces- 
sary to  have  discipline  established  and  order  maintained. 
Besides  a  patrol  guard,  a  police  court  was  organized,  with  a 
judge  who  comprehended  his  master's  will.  That  tribunal  is 
lodged  in  a  corner  of  the  arsenal,  at  the  east  end  of  the  bridge. 
Blows  settle  all  difficulties ;  and  the  bastinado  is  superior  to  an 
army,  according  to  the  theory  of  the  times,  in  that  despotism. 
Two  witnesses  are  sufficient  to  sustain  a  charge,  and,  from 
some  subsequent  obsers'ations,  it  appeared  that  one  would 
answer.  On  all  simple,  trivial  aflairs,  fifty  lashes  are  meted 
out  to  an  adult,  and  twenty-five  to  a  boy,  and  instantly,  too. 


64  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT.  ,fc  * 

% 

The  Englishman  said  a  perpetual  flogg-ing  was  going  on  every 
day  but  Friday,  —  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath.  The  chief 
engineer  —  a  Frenchman  —  receives  a  salary  of  twenty-five 
purses  a  month,  —  equal  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
pounds  sterling;  the  judge,  twelve  pounds  per  month,  for  keep- 
ing the  laborers  well  subdued  by  the  courbash,  or  raw  hide  of 
the  hippopotamus ;  and  thus  the  bridge  is  building,  and  thus  it 
will  remain,  till  the  gates  are  shut  for  the  first  time,  when  it 
will  keel  over  before  the  flood. 

While  gazing  and  reconnoitring  the  ground  round  about 
these  gigantic  works,  a  ragged  black  fellow,  half  bare  above  his 
hips,  and  all  below,  ordered  the  boat  from  the  pin  to  which  it 
was  fast  in  the  mud,  waiting  for  a  wind  sufficiently  strong  to 
waft  us  through  the  narrow  passage  between  the  piers  of  the 
bridge,  where  the  current,  from  being  compressed,  ran  furi- 
ously. He  announced  himself,  with  an  air  of  consequence, 
the  pasha's  guard.  I  pointed  to  the  stars  and  stripes  at  the 
peak,  and  told  him  to  touch  the  line  upon  his  peril.  The  reis 
felt  some  anxiety,  and  even  Hassan  exhibited  a  shade  of  cow- 
ardice, at  the  name  of  the  ruler  of  the  destinies  of  Egypt. 
After  a  monkey  display  of  oratorical  wrath,  referring  frequently 
to  the  authority  with  which  he  was  invested,  he  quietly  inti- 
mated that  a  present  would  make  all  right,  although  the  law 
was  broken.  We  gave  him  nothing,  but  threatened  to  crack 
his  bones  if  he  did  not  keep  at  a  respectful  distance.  Soon 
after  this  tea-pot  tempest,  the  wind  came  in  earnest;  the  boat 
shot  through,  and  the  pyramids  loomed  up  to  the  heavens ;  the 
minarets  of  Cairo  came  into  view,  and  the  encouragement  was 
held  out  of  reaching  Boulac,  the  port  of  the  city,  by  sundown. 


1 


CAIRO. 


CAIRO. 


Notwithstanding  our  expectations,  we  did  not  fairly  step  on 
shore  at  Boulac  till  near  midnight,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
remain  on  board  till  the  following  morning.  The  trunks  being 
lashed  on  the  backs  of  donkeys,  and  a  set  being  procured  for 
ourselves  to  ride,  —  the  distance  being  all  of  two  miles,  — 
we  moved  off  from  the  din  of  noise,  braying  of  asses,  growl  of 
camels,  dust,  and  the  rabble  of  men,  women  and  children. 
There  was  some  examination  of  luggage,  or  a  fee  to  pay,  to 
exempt  it  from  that  ordeal,  so  detrimental  to  reserved  linen. 
Not  a  spire  of  grass  was  anywhere  recognized.  A  wide  road, 
bordered  by  acacias,  lined  the  way.  At  the  entrance-gate 
there  was  some  form  to  comply  with,  not  remembered,  in  com- 
bination with  those  moving  panoramic  displays  of  human 
beings,  in  new  attitudes  and  dresses,  on  the  route  to  the  great 
Arab  city. 

Somewhere  on  the  Cairo  side  of  the  Nile,  tradition  says  the 
infant  Moses  was  picked  up,  in  his  bulrush  float,  by  Pharaoh's 
daughter.  As  for  defining  the  exact  locality,  the  attempt  would 
be  ridiculous.  When  fairly  within  the  city,  we  found  a  small 
hotel,  centrally  placed,  near  the  focus  of  business,  close  to  the 
post-office,  from  whence  explorations  were  conmienced. 

Cairo,  the  capital  of  Egypt,  is  comparatively  modem,  called 
by  the  inhabitants  Mus-r.  It  was  commenced  in  the  year  973, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  singular  changes  it  has  passed  through, 
in  the  vicissitudes  of  war,  intestine  commotions,  rebellions,  fire 
and  sword,  it  has  survived  them  all,  and  may  be  considered  a 
great  city.  About  four  miles  above,  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river,  are  heaps  of  broken  brick,  stone,  mortar,  potter)',  —  the 
refuse  of  ages,  —  piled  up  to  a  hundred  feet,  perhaps,  in  sev- 
eral places,  extending  widely ;  and  near  the  water,  for  more 
6* 


66  A   PILGKIMAQE   TO   EGYPT. 

than  half  a  mile,  are  houses  of  all  patterns,  and  a  ferry.  These 
indicate  the  site  of  Fostat,  once  the  capital,  now  called  Old 
Cairo.  A  wall  of  considerable  strength  encircles  the  new  city, 
but  when  built  is  not  material.  The  houses  are  of  wood,  brick 
and  stone,  carried  up  two  and  three  stories,  on  streets  which 
are,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  not  over  five  feet  wide.  Each  story 
.juts  out  beyond  the  one  beneath  it,  so  that  the  dwellings  on 
opposite  sides  nearly  meet.  One  might  cross  from  a  second 
story  to  an  opposite  window.  The  houses  have  a  miserably 
poor,  dingy,  antique  appearance,  and  no  doubt  half  of  them,  at 
least,  were  constructed  out  of  old  materials,  that  have  been  in 
temples  or  houses  twenty  times  before.  Occasionally,  a  toler- 
ably good  house  is  noticed.  There  are  no  chimneys,  and  all 
the  windows  in  the  second  story  are  usually  covered  with  fine 
lattice  frames.  Those  within  can  look  out,  but  those  in  the 
street  cannot  peer  in.  Wherever  such  barricaded  windows  are, 
there  is  the  harem ;  they  are  numerous,  too. 

There  are  reputed  to  be  four  hundred  mosques.  The  min- 
arets are  not  beautiful,  but  mostly  very  miserable  specimens  of 
brick  masonry,  poorly  painted.  A  majority  of  the  mosques 
are  in  a  ruinous  condition,  —  the  steps  fallen  partly  down,  glass 
broken,  doors  settled,  &c.  I  visited  several,  and  invariably 
found  them  of  the  poorest  and  shabbiest  of  all  religious  edifices 
seen  in  other  countries.  Some  have  a  plain,  movable  pulpit, 
others  none  at  all.  While  some  of  them  are  quite  long,  they 
have  no  architectural  proportions.  None  of  them  equal  in  size 
ordinary  country  churches  with  us.  Usually  there  is  a  yard, 
enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  tank  of 
water,  two,  three,  or  four  feet  high,  and  about  ten  feet  across. 
The  water  is  supplied  by  artificial  means.  When  worshippers 
are  about  entering  for  their  devotions,  they  step  up  on  the 
brim  of  the  tank,  and,  squatting  on  their  haunches,  wet  the 


Joseph's  well.  6T 

tips  of  their  ears,  wash  their  foreheads,  —  cautiously  avoiding 
the  eyes,  —  rinse  the  mouth,  and  then  they  are  ready  to  enter. 

Pious  Moslem  citizens  think  to  purchase  heaven  by  the 
same  course  pursued  with  us ;  —  by  giving  what  they  can  no 
longer  use  to  the  church.  Water  being  the  universal  element, 
on  which  all  life  and  health  depends  in  Egypt,  it  engrosses  the 
thoughts  of  those  particularly  who  seek  opportunities  for  mani- 
festing their  benevolence,  —  a  quality  in  high  estimation  among 
Mohammedans;  and  they  make  endowments  for  keeping  a 
tank  or  fountain,  always  filled,  in  a  mosque,  for  the  use  of  all 
Moslems. 

In  passing  by  a  mosque,  it  is  common  to  see  one  or  two 
brass  tubes  projecting  an  inch  or  two,  on  a  level  with  the 
mouth  of  persons  of  medium  height.  By  sucking  at  these,  a 
draught  is  raised.  These  are  the  boasted  fountains  some 
travellers  have  admired.  There  are  no  fountains  in  the  streets, 
or  anywhere  else  within  the  walls,  except  wells,  out  of  which 
the  water  is  raised  by  a  wheel,  turned  by  a  bullock.  The  city 
does  not  stand  so  high  as  to  prevent  reaching  water  that  perco- 
lates from  the  river,  through  the  earth.  Several  wells  are  on 
the  lower  or  western  margin  of  the  city,  towards  the  river ;  and 
from  them  the  gardens  are  supplied.  Joseph's  Well,  at  the 
citadel,  cut  through  solid  rock  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty  feet,  is  conceived  to  have  been  executed  by  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  It  is  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  town,  and  was 
accidentally  discovered,  —  filled  with  sand,  —  in  1171,  by 
Saladin,  of  bloody  memory.  There  is  an  inclined  plane  wind- 
ing down,  like  a  spiral  staircase,  all  the  way.  Horses  and 
oxen  can  be  driven  up  or  down.  I  descended  as  far  as  curios- 
ity prompted.  An  ox  was  down  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  turning  a  wheel  to  raise  the  contents,  and  at  the  top 
was  another.     The  supply  is  thought  to  come  by  an  aqueduct 


68  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

stretching  to  the  river,  near  old  Cairo,  where  it  is  raised  up 
there,  from  the  flowing  stream,  by  bullocks. 

There  is  not  a  drop  of  water  in  Cairo,  not  raised,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  from  the  river.  The  wheels,  covered  with 
earthen  pots  tied  to  ropes,  descending  and  coming  full,  are 
numerous.  Donkeys,  in  marvellous  numbers,  —  in  fact,  in 
droves,  —  are  all  the  while  going  to  Boulac,  and  returning  with 
goat-skins  filled  with  the  precious  beverage.  The  demands  of 
the  population  for  water,  in  the  few  rude  arts,  for  animals  and 
irrigation,  require  an  incessant  activity  to  meet  the  ordinary 
consumption.  There  is  not  a  handsome  fountain,  nor  one  with 
running  water,  in  Cairo,  to  my  knowledge. 

One  wide  street  has  been  commenced  ;  and  a  cutting,  slashing 
business  it  has  been,  through  every  dwelling  or  estate  on  the 
line.  This  will  ultimately  be  a  decent  road,  rather  too  narrow, 
through  which  the  viceroy  may  drive  his  carriage.  No  remon- 
strance would  prevail  against  any  measure  he  chose  to  carry, 
since  his  will  is  sovereign,  being  an  unlimited  despot,  brooking 
no  contradictions.  He  owns  the  land,  and  the  people  are  simply 
tenants  at  will.  All  the  streets  are  delightfully  clean.  I 
rarely  ever  detected  a  nuisance  of  any  magnitude  in  any  of 
them.  At  the  extremity  of  each  is  a  heavy  wooden  gate,  sus- 
pended on  clumsy  hinges,  driven  all  over  with  nails,  which  is 
closed  soon  after  dark.  Thus  each  street  is  perfectly  insulated, 
so  far  as  intercourse  is  concerned,  at  nightfall.  Even  the  out- 
side wall  gates  are  of  wood,  protected  in  the  same  manner,  and 
are  not  so  ponderous  but  that  a  strong  man  might  walk  off  with 
one  of  them  on  his  shoulder,  as  Samson  did  with  the  gates  of 
Gaza,  —  a  feat  that  loses  a  little  of  its  miraculous  character  on 
seeing  what  kind  of  gates  are  now  in  use,  and  probably  were  in 
his  day. 

A  few  coaches  are  in  use  by  the  principal  leading  government. 


CAIRO.  69 

men  attached  to  the  court  of  the  pasha.  They  can  drive  off 
in  some  of  the  wide  roads  Mohammed  Ali  constructed,  towards 
the  palace  of  Shoobra,  and  over  the  great  barren  plains  to  the 
north,  facing  the  sand-swells  behind  the  city. 

Cairo  is  an  irregular  congregation  of  mosques,  large  and 
small  edifices  of  all  shapes  and  descriptions,  inhabited  by  nobody 
knows  who.  It  is  in  the  occupancy  of  Arabs,  Turks,  Jews, 
Copts  and  Europeans,  interspersed  among  whom  are  Berbers, 
Nubians,  Abyssinians,  and  representatives  of  very  distant  Afri- 
can tribes.  It  is  understood  that  the  former  have  sections  by 
themselves,  as  the  Jews'  quarter,  Copts'  quarter,  &c.  Europe- 
ans begin  to  exert  an  influence  over  all  the  others,  and  are  fast 
modifying  them,  without  meddling  with  their  peculiar  institu- 
tions. Wherever  foreigners  are,  the  houses  and  shops  have 
comforts  and  conveniences  combined ;  and  their  manner  of 
building,  doing  business,  &c.,  will,  at  a  future  day,  change  the 
present  aspect  of  Cairo.  There  is  a  custom,  or  law,  that  hud- 
dles those  of  a  trade  together ;  which  may  have  been  brought 
about  by  the  determination  of  some  ancient  ruler.  All  the 
blacksmiths  are  near  each  other,  and  so  of  other  mechanics. 
The  pipe-makers  concentrate  in  a  similar  manner;  and  there 
are  sections  where  tailors  are  in  the  ascendant.  The  munici- 
pal government  is  simple  and  efficient,  and  life  and  property 
are  as  secure  there  as  in  any  place  in  Christendom.  As  the 
viceroy  resides  in  and  near  Cairo,  his  presence  has  an  obvious 
influence  in  the  preservation  of  order,  in  a  population  of  several 
hundred  thousand,  where  it  is  clearly  understood  that  an  infrac- 
tion of  a  single  regulation  he  has  established  would  be  instantly 
visited  by  a  tremendous  punishment,  from  which  none  are 
exempt  but  those  imder  the  protection  of  foreign  consuls. 
Under  the  governor  is  a  military  force,  scattered  over  the  city, 
in  barracks.     The  soldiers  are  on  duty  with  loaded  guns,  espe- 


70  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT, 

cially  at  night,  at  all  the  gates,  round  all  the  public  buildings, 
at  the  treasury,  mint,  palaces,  and  citadel,  overlooking  the  city, 
and  wherever  it  is  possible  their  services  might  be  wanted.  I 
have  been  in  no  town  or  city  so  remarkably  quiet,  and  where 
all  you  meet  were  so  universally  civil. 

One  week,  constantly  devoted  to  sight-seeing,  is  quite  suffi- 
cient for  Cairo.  I  began  with  the  citadel,  —  an  irregular,  half- 
strong  and  shabby  fortress,  at  the  east  of  the  town,  elevated  on 
the  rocks,  but  commanded  by  still  higher  cliffs  beyond.  There 
was  the  spot  w^here  the  late  pasha  succeeded  in  collecting 
all  the  Beys,  or  Mameluke  governors,  whom  he  ferociously 
slaughtered,  and  thus  gained  the  sovereignty  of  Egypt.  One 
only  was  saved,  by  leaping  his  horse  over  a  low  wall,  to  a 
frightful  descent  of  one  hundred  feet  below.  By  looking  over 
the  dizzy  height,  I  realized  the  dreadful  chance  there  was  for 
life,  in  falling  such  a  distance,  on  the  back  of  a  horse,  to  the 
roof  of  a  small  house.  The  obedient  animal  was  dashed  into 
jelly,  but  the  master  made  his  escape,  and  lived  many  years 
after.  This  slaughter  has  been  repeatedly  cited  as  an  evidence 
of  the  cruelty,  love  of  blood  and  carnage,  of  Mohammed  Ali. 
They  had  been  plotting  for  his  life,  and  no  effort  had  been 
spared  which  their  cunning  could  devise,  to  compass  their  dar- 
ling object,  on  the  success  of  which  depended  their  own  secur- 
ity and  the  maintenance  of  their  authority.  He  outwitted 
them,  established  a  throne,  and  raised  Egypt  from  its  national 
degradation,  to  a  position  unexpected  and  surprising,  in  a  com- 
paratively short  period,  through  the  indomitable  energy  of  his 
own  restless  mind.  Any  statesman  or  civilian  would  have  been 
justified  in  pursuing  the  same  policy.  Its  atrocity  grew  out  of 
the  impossibility  of  apprehending  his  enemies,  and  disposing  of 
them  by  milder  means.  Mohammed  Ali  is  not  appreciated, 
nor  his  extraordinary  abilities  acknowledged.     Those  who  could 


THE   NEW  MOSQUE.  71 

nei^er  control  him,  circumvent  his  plans,  nor  comprehend  his 
policy,  vilified  his  name,  and  held  him  up  as  a  monster  in 
human  form.  Under  all  the  embarrassments  consequent  upon 
neither  reading  or  writing,  —  with  no  education  that  gave  him 
an  insight  into  the  institutions  of  Christian  countries,  beyond 
the  discovery  that  they  were  strong  and  Turkey  was  weak,  and 
even  rotten  at  its  vitals,  —  he  commenced  a  revolution,  with 
barbarians  and  Moslem  fanatics,  which  was  without  a  parallel 
in  history ;  achieved  the  purpose  he  contemplated ;  and,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  interference  of  European  powers,  he  would 
have  subverted  the  Ottoman  empire,  and  seated  himself  upon 
the  divan  of  his  royal  master  in  Constantinople. 

A  new,  and,  for  modern  Egypt,  a  magnificent  mosque,  is 
drawing  towards  completion,  near  the  citadel,  in  which  the 
remains  of  the  regenerator  repose.  When  I  entered  it,  the  car- 
penters, masons,  painters,  &c.,  were  driving  on  the  work  rapidly. 
In  the  south  comer  there  was  a  space  of  twelve  feet  square, 
railed  off  with  simple  pine  strips,  nailed  to  four  pieces  of  joist, 
to  keep  visiters  from  profaning  the  sarcophagus  of  the  old  hero, 
whose  body  is  there  enclosed,  to  be  more  magnificently  disposed 
of  when  the  edifice  —  erected  by  funds  which  he  set  apart  for 
the  object  —  is  in  readiness.  Even  the  case  of  the  coffin  looked 
like  a  mere  pine  box,  three  feet  wide  by  five  high,  brought  into 
the  form  of  the  ridge-pole  of  a  house.  Within  that  there  was, 
probably,  a  leaden  coffin  of  a  costly  kind.  Over  the  whole, 
cashmere  shawls  were  carelessly  thrown.  Within  a  couple  of 
yards,  common  hearth-rugs  were  promiscuously  laid  upon  the 
rough  floor,  on  which  a  number  of  devout  Mussulmans  were 
groaning,  praying,  rolling  their  eyes  towards  the  skies,  and 
see-sawing,  as  they^  squatted  on  the  mats,  as  if  oppressed  with 
profound  grief.     We  were  assured  that  they  were  hired  to  pray 


72  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT, 

for  the  quiet  of  the  soul  of  his  late  highness  ;  and  that  would 
account  for  their  being  always  at  the  work  whenever  we  called. 

The  police  of  the  city  of  Cairo  do  not  appear  savage  or  reck- 
less ;  on  the  contrary,  they  are  individually  civil.  Nor  were 
they  harsh  to  those  under  arrest.  My  lodgings  being  near  the 
treasury,  I  observed  that  after  the  little  gate  at  the  end  of  the 
short  lane  was  shut,  they  spread  their  mats,  and,  for  aught  I 
know,  had  a  sound  night's  sleep. 

A  sheik,  or  local  magistrate,  is  made  responsible  for  the 
peace  and  respectability  of  the  immediate  neighborhood  under 
his  care.  If  he  hears  or  sees  any  unusual  movement,  he  forth- 
with inquires  into  it,  and  takes  measures  accordingly.  The 
population  is  assumed  to  be  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand, 
and  the  whole  of  Egypt  as  less  than  two  millions.  In  Egyptian 
times  of  prosperity,  there  was  probably  a  population  of  about 
seven  millions ;  and  the  land  is  capable  of  sustaining,  bounti- 
fully, eight  millions.  Yet  all  these  human  beings,  of  diversi- 
fied characters  and  blood,  strangely  brought  in  contact, — 
controlled  by  religious  prejudices,  and  always  influenced  by 
selfish  desires,  —  are  governed,  not  only  in  Cairo,  but  through- 
out all  Egypt,  by  the  simplest  legal  machinery  ever  put  in 
motion.  Fear  restrains ;  but  neither  love,  respect,  or  national 
glory,  prompts  any  one  to  be  an  exemplary  citizen.  They  will 
overreach  each  other  in  barter  trades,  if  they  can  ;  and  Jews  and 
Christians  are  fair  game,  under  all  circumstances.  Yet  they 
are  proverbially  honest  when  property  is  confided  to  their  care, 
and  hospitable  to  the  last  crust. 

Through  the  day  there  is  quite  enough  that  is  new  to  keep 
the  tourist  occupied ;  but  when  the  shades  of  night  come  over 
the  town,  the  hours  pass  off"  heavily.  There  are  but  few 
amusements  for  Europeans,  and  none  at  all  for  the  natives. 
As  they  have  no  literary  resources,  seldom  play  at  games  of 


DOGS.  78 

chance,  neither  cultivate  music  nor  enjoy  social  domestic  inter- 
change of  conversation,  if  awake,  the  night  must  drag  slowly 
on.  Like  fowls,  they  retire  early.  Houses  of  the  common 
people  rarely  have  the  show  of  a  light.  If  they  go  into  the 
streets,  each  carries  a  paper  lantern.  It  shows  him  a  safe  place 
for  his  feet,  while  it  indicates  an  honest  purpose  to  the  street 
watch  ;  and,  better  still,  keeps  the  dogs  at  bay.  Dogs  are  one 
of  the  modern  plagues  of  Egj'pt ;  and  it  is  possible  they  always 
have  been,  through  all  the  phases  of  its  eventful  history.  They 
abound  in  towns  and  villages  to  a  frightful  extent.  They  com- 
mence barking  and  fighting  among  themselves  as  soon  as  it  is 
dark ;  and  many  a  dead  carcass  of  a  recently-slaughtered  one 
may  be  seen  on  the  mounds,  by  daylight.  I  have  seen  them 
when  so  hoarse,  by  incessant  barking,  that  they  could  make  no 
sound  whatever,  although  going  through  the  show  of  howling. 
They  have  certain  districts,  in  all  large  dog  communities, 
appropriated  to  a  certain  pack  of  friends,  and  death  to  the 
intruder  follows.     It  is  dangerous,  on  account  of  these  fero- 


^-,jvr^>T_ 


cious,  half-starved  creatures,  to  stir  out  at  night  without  a 
lantern.  They  are  without  owners,  yet  they  are  about  every 
house,  and  on  the  tops  of  them,  sleeping  and  sunning  through 
the  day.  At  Geezeh,  where  droves  of  cattle,  from  Dongola, 
wait  for  purchasers,  day  after  day,  several  bullocks  are  usually 
7 


74  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

found  dead  every  morning,  and  the  dogs  prowl  about  the  herd 
in  expectancy.  When  a  carcass  is  given  them,  it  is  torn  to 
pieces  with  incredible  dispatch.  They  are  of  a  dirty  yellow, 
not  much  larger  than  foxes,  with  the  savage  appearance  of 
wolves. 

Mechanics  do  not  work  in  the  evening,  as  with  us,  in  the 
winter  months.  On  the  other  hand,  they  rise  very  early.  At 
four  o'clock,  a  simultaneous  call  to  prayers,  from  four  hundred 
minarets,  in  the  stillness  of  opening  morning,  in  perfect  unison, 
strikes  the  ear  with  the  sweetness  of  a  single  silvery-toned  bell; 
and  away  move  the  faithful  followers  of  the  prophet,  to  bow, 
touch  the  earth  with  their  foreheads,  and  to  deprecate  their  sins. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  myself  and  companions  were  invited 
to  dine  with  Dr.  Abbott,  an  English  physician,  settled  in 
Cairo,  at  six  in  the  evening.  The  hour  had  passed  when  the 
host  came  into  the  apartment, — where  we  had  been  some  time, 
waiting  his  return, —  apologizing  for  the  apparent  incivility  of 
not  being  in  to  receive  us;  but  said,  in  extenuation,  he  had 
been  to  the  proper  authorities  to  obtain  permission  for  us  to 
pass  through  the  gates  to  our  lodgings  after  nine  o'clock,  but 
without  success.  Consequently,  the  dinner  was  rather  hurried. 
We  sat  upon  cushions  on  the  floor,  at  a  round  metallic  table,  a 
foot  high,  on  which  one  dish  was  brought  at  a  time,  by  the 
servant.  Neither  knives,  forks  nor  spoons,  were  provided. 
With  our  fingers  we  plunged  into  the  provisions,  and,  dripping 
and  hot,  carried  the  morsels  to  the  mouth.  We  could  not 
manage  to  wisp  up  a  sop  as  adroitly  as  one  who  had  been  in 
practice  twenty  years.  Servants  stood  behind  us  with  long- 
necked  ewers;  and  when  they  poured  the  water  out,  it  was 
caught  in  brass  basins  somewhat  resembling  an  inverted  cul- 
lender. Our  watches  finally  startled  us  with  the  position  of 
their  hands  near  the  figure  nine ;  so  we  hurried  out,  quite  uncer- 


STREETS   AND   BAZAARS.  75 

emoniously,  and  mounted  the  waiting  donkeys,  which  were  urged 
to  their  utmost  speed  by  their  supple  drivers.  In  spite  of  our 
best  efforts,  —  although  their  little  feet  moved  as  fast  as  drum- 
sticks, —  the  dreaded  gate  was  closed.  The  doctor's  servant 
accompanied  us  with  a  lantern,  and,  discovering  our  dilemma, 
cried  out  lustily  that  the  hakeem  must  pass  through.  Fortun- 
ately, it  was  true  that  one  of  the  party  was  a  doctor.  The 
guard,  associating  the  rascal's  master  with  a  hakeem,  drew  the 
heavy  bolt,  pushed  the  door  ajar,  and  away  we  went,  at  still 
greater  speed.  Unfortunately,  my  animal  stumbled,  and  threw 
me  directly  over  his  head,  and  came  rolling  upon  me  himself. 
The  bruise  was  no  joke,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fright.  How- 
ever, we  got  home  safely.  And  this  illustrates  a  social  even- 
ing with  Christians  in  Cairo. 

All  the  streets  are  irregular,  dark  alleys,  with  a  very  few 
exceptions,  never  lighted  by  lamps.  It  was  never  in  my  power 
to  find  the  way  more  than  a  few  rods,  such  was  the  irregularity 
of  the  windings,  and  the  difficulty  of  seeing  a  prominent  mark 
of  any  kind.  In  attempting  to  pursue  a  direct  line,  the  failure 
was  signal ;  and  without  a  director,  it  was  impossible  to  retrace 
my  steps.  The  bazaars  are  also  narrow  alleys,  on  each  of 
which  are  little  recesses  into  the  abutting  buildings.  There 
the  trader  sits,  flat  on  the  floor,  generally  smoking,  till  inter- 
rupted by  a  customer.  A  large  grocer  may  keep  all  his  stock 
in  twenty  peck-baskets,  on  shelves,  and  by  the  side  of  his  knees. 
Bread-shops  occupy  but  a  small  space.  I  have  looked  into 
many  an  oven  the  floor  of  which  was  on  a  level  with  the  shop 
floor ;  and  the  baker  sat,  as  all  others  do  there,  on  his  haunches. 
Hundreds  of  weavers  of  fringes,  nan'ow  silk  scarfs,  &c.,  are 
seen  scattered  widely  over  the  bazaar  ground,  with  the  clumsi- 
est machinery  and  the  rudest  looms  that  were  ever  seen,  fixed 
to  the  floor,  the  web  upon  the  beam  just  clearing  it.     To  meet 


76 


A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 


the  treaddles,  a  hole  is  dug  in  the  earth,  where  they  suspend 
their  legs,  and  thus  their  feet  touch  the  treaddles.  They  are 
ingenious  in  keeping  up  a  connection  with  the  floor.  By  rais- 
ing the  loom  and  sitting  on  a  stool,  a  more  agreeable  position 
would  seem  to  be  secured ;  but  such  is  not  the  custom. 

Narrow  as  the  streets  are,  everybody  rides  —  on  donkeys,  of 
course.  It  is  broad  farce  to  see  a  very  large  man,  with  a  coal- 
black  beard,  basket-turban,  and  bare  legs,  his  feet  dangling  to 
the  ground,  amble  by,  spurred  on  by  a  half-naked  Arab  boy, 
who  pommels  a  stubborn  little  ass,  not  much  larger  than  a 
South  Down  sheep,  to  keep  him  .in  a  trot.  They  are  kept 
saddled  about  the  hotels,  near  certain  corners,  in  the  bazaars, 


in  the  square  fronting  the  citadel,  and  by  the  city  gates.  If 
an  excursion  is  made  to  the  margin  of  the  desert,  to  the  pyra- 
mids, old  Cairo,  the  palace  at  Shoobra,  Heliopolis,  or  the  petri- 
fied forest,  —  which  really  means  a  few  scattered  logs,  —  it  is 
accomplished  exclusively  on  donkeys. 


HOBSES.  7T 

There  are  splendid  horses  in  Cairo,  chiefly  belonging  to 
officers  of  the  army,  and  official  dignitaries.  By  taking  a  posi- 
tion to  the  south  of  the  Mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali,  on  a  wall 
that  permits  the  spectator  to  take  an  extensive  view  of  the 
plain  in  front,  stretching  out  towards  the  tombs  of  the  Mame- 
luke kings,  I  have  watched  the  exercises  of  the  cavalry  with 
exceeding  interest.  The  horses  know  quite  as  much  as  their 
riders,  and  would  be  far  preferable  companions.  However,  the 
soldiers  ride  gallantly  and  daringly.  A  post  being  placed  at 
the  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  rods  from  a  starting-point,  with  a 
red  cap  on  the  top,  a  horseman  runs  furiously  to  it,  and,  in  the 
act  of  turning  round  it,  he  strikes  with  his  sword  to  behead  the 
fixed  enemy.  Their  speed  is  so  extremely  rapid  that  the  cap 
is  not  hit  very  frequently.  The  bits  are  constructed  with  an 
iron  lever,  six  inches  long,  that  lies  on  the  animal's  tongue.  A 
slight  check  of  the  rein  presses  the  bar  most  cruelly  into  the 
roof  of  the  animal's  mouth,  bringing  him  to  an  instantaneous 
stand-still,  even  when  upon  highest  speed.  Blood  on  the  lips 
and  the  bridle  shows  his  suffering.  The  horses  are  of  ali 
colors,  as  with  us  ;  not  large,  but  of  medium  height  and  size. 
They  are  always  in  excellent  condition,  their  haunches  being 
plump  and  round.  Hay  they  never  have,  in  the  sense  we 
understand  the  term.  Very  dry  barley  or  wheat  straw,  night 
and  morning,  in  which  beans  are  freely  mixed,  constitutes  their 
food.  Once  a  year,  —  in  June,  if  I  remember  rightly,  —  they 
are  put  out  in  the  fields  for  upwards  of  twenty  days,  to  feed  on 
green  clover,  and  other  fresh  stuff'. 

All  the  army-horses  in  Eg}'pt  have  their  tails  cut  square  off, 
leaving  a  longhea\y  mass,  out  of  which  a  little  hank  of  hairs 
is  permitted  to  shoot  out  as  far  as  it  will.  Their  shoes  are 
light  and  thin,  covering  the  whole  foot,  save  a  small  oval  ori- 
fice for  the  pressing  out  of  the  frog.  One  reason  why  the 
7* 


78  A  PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Egyptian  horses  are  spirited,  and  ready  to  fly  like  an  arrow 
from  the  bow,  is,  that  they  have  never  been  mutilated.  Each 
animal  remains  through  life  with  all  the  organs  nature  bestowed 
upon  him.  The  officers  caparison  them  very  richly.  Some 
of  the  saddles  and  accompanying  trappings,  holsters  and  other 
apparatus,  including  silver-mounted  pistols,  are  not  only  beau- 
tiful, but  costly. 

Camels  are  everywhere,  within  and  without.  They  are  the 
burden-bearers  for  all  classes.  They  carry  heavy  stones  in 
net  panniers,  for  walls ;  lime  in  sacks ;  water  in  skins ;  fuel, 
merchandise,  and  even  men,  women  and  children.  Trains  of 
from  ten  to  thirty,  tied  the  head  of  one  to  the  tail  of  the 
other,  are  frequently  met  in  narrow  streets,  treading  as 
noiselessly  as  a  cat.  They  are  to  Egypt  and  the  deserts  what 
railroads  are  in  other  countries.  A  child  can  manage  them, 
when  they  are  not  under  a  periodical  impulse, —  an  occur- 
rence in  which  instinct  forbids  the  recognition  of  the  master's 
voice,  or  the  terrors  of  a  whip.  One  of  these  animals  must  be 
taken  for  any  land  expedition;  for  carriages  are  out  of  the 
question,  except  for  a  short  drive,  or  in  the  vans  of  the  transit 
company,  from  Cairo  to  Suez. 

Most  persons  have  extreme  difficulty  in  finding  bankers, 
consuls,  merchants,  or  even  the  central  offices  of  the  govern- 
ment. There  are  few  or  no  signs  ;  and  it  is  only  by  long  famil- 
iarity with  the  narrow,  crooked  places  where  any  of  them 
reside,  that  they  can  be  readily  found. 

Cairo  is  the  seat  of  government,  and  therefore  the  focus  of 
trade,  and  of  every  movement  of  interest  to  the  traveller.  He 
is  perfectly  secure  there  ;  and  all  his  wants,  and  much  of  his 
curiosity,  may  be  gratified,  because  there  is  a  price  for  each 
and  all.  A  love  for  money  is  not  concealed  by  any  one  ;  and 
yet  they  rarely  rob  or  steal.     Whatever  can  be  sold  is  disposed 


ROYAL   RESIDEXCES.  79 

of  at  the  dearest  rate  for  the  purchaser ;  and  they  will  sell  them- 
selves, if  the  price  is  forthcoming.  Wages  are  extremely  low, 
and  taxes  high ;  and  the  full  weight  of  a  wasting  despotism 
falls  upon  the  head  of  him  who  is  unable  to  meet  the  rigorous 
demands  of  the  pasha. 

Being  weary  of  ransacking  the  town  for  antiquities,  I  made 
an  excursion  or  two  for  the  contemplation  of  modern  structures. 
The  present  ruler,  Abbas  Pasha,  has  a  decided  taste  for  putting 
up  palaces.  He  has  a  retreat  in  the  desert,  towards  Suez, 
where  he  retires,  in  extremely  hot  weather,  for  pure  air.  He  is 
building  a  fine  residence  outside  the  wall,  facing  to  the  west, 
in  a  large  walled  enclosure,  that  already  begins  to  have  the 
appearance  of  a  royal  residence.  Sentinels  are  posted  at  various 
angles,  to  keep  the  vulgar  at  an  untainting  distance.  All  the 
apartments  are  supposed  to  be  both  spacious  and  elegant.  A 
flag  is  constantly  floating  in  front.  Where  the  lumber,  sticks 
of  timber,  piles  of  stone,  or  other  materials,  were  lying  in  the 
street,  and  round  about  the  wall,  sentinels,  with  long  sticks, 
were  keeping  guard.  Some  of  them  reared  up  a  half-moon- 
shaped  wall,  four  feet  high,  where  they  squatted  securely  out 
of  the  way  of  a  searching  wind  and  sheets  of  sand  that  came 
off"  the  desert.  The,  palace  faces  a  bare  plain  of  hard  matted 
gravel,  on  which  not  a  spire  of  anything  green  is  to  be  seen. 
It  would  be  the  finest  parade-ground  in  the  world. 

A  telegraphing  tower  is  near  the  palace,  where  the  old 
semiphoric  boards  are  seen  in  action  occasionally.  Mohammed 
Ali  had  these  towers  raised  throughout  the  entire  length  of  his 
dominions,  up  the  Nile,  into  Nubia,  and  also  to  the  east- 
ward, into  the  desert.  He  was  apprized,  at  any  hour  of  the 
day,  of  what  was  transpiring  in  the  whole  country.  His  suc- 
cessor has  neither  the  energy,  originality  or  tact,  of  his  grand- 
father, and  consequently  every  department  of  the  government 


80  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

is  rapidly  deteriorating.  The  telegraph  is  neglected  altogether, 
in  Upper  Egypt ;  but  between  Cairo  and  Alexandria  some 
show  of  working  is  maintained.  The  towers  are  round,  inva- 
riably whitewashed,  and  placed  at  distances,  on  eminences, 
that  give  the  observer  a  distinct  view  of  the  stations  each  way. 
Some  of  them  stand  in  desolate  places,  perched  on  ledges  of 
rocks,  in  bleak,  exposed  positions,  many  miles  from  any  settle- 
ment. 

A  new  regal  residence  is  under  way,  to  the  south  of  the  new 
mosque,  on  the  elevated  brow  of  the  citadel,  which  gives  a 
delightful,  extensive,  and  unsurpassed  view  of  the  whole  city, 
the  river  for  ten  or  twenty  miles,  the  plains,  the  pyramids  of 
Geezeh  and  Sakkara,  and  the  rich  gardens  towards  Shoobra. 
The  finishing  lags ;  why  the  floors  are  not  laid,  no  one  could 
tell,  nor  does  any  one  care.  Close  by  is  the  palace,  a  small 
house,  comparatively,  occupied  by  the  old  conqjieror,  when  he 
was  at  Cairo.  Wherever  these  royal  residences  are  seen,  the 
traveller  dwells  with  some  new  emotions  on  the  singular  pro- 
vision in  them  all  for  securing  the  females  of  the  family  from 
the  gaze  of  any  one  but  the  proprietor  and  the  eunuchs.  Their 
division  is  a  prison  ;  and  their  sphere  of  action  is  circumscribed 
by  partitions,  strong  walls,  and  closely-secured  windows.  Pri- 
vate dwellings  are  humble  imitations  of  the  larger  and  richer 
ones,  while  their  interior  economy  is  conducted  on  the  same 
system.  Elegance  is  chiefly  displayed  in  the  internal  finish 
of  a  house.  Some,  without  a  single  outward  attraction,  are 
excessively  gaudy  in  paint,  gilding,  drapery  and  carpets, 
within. 

On  the  10th  of  November,  a  longing  desire  of  my  boyhood  — 
brought  into  intense  activity  by  reading  a  history  of  ancient 
Egypt,  during  the  long  winter  evenings,  in  a  little  country 
village  —  was  abundantly  gratified ;  for  I  not  only  examined  all 


PYRAMID   OF   CHEOPS.  81 

the  pyramids  of  Lower  Egj'pt,  but  actually  stood  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Cheops,  the  highest  artificial  structure  on  the  globe. 
Of  course,  it  would  be  absurd  to  attempt  a  description  of  those 
wonders  of  human  power.  They  are  not  of  granite,  as  I  had 
been  led  to  suppose,  but  of  a  soft  magnesian  limestone.  In 
very  many  of  the  enormous  blocks,  animal  remains,  of  a  marine 
origin,  older  than  the  stones  themselves,  are  common.  Several 
ammonites  were  discoverable,  protruding  upon  the  surface ;  and 
others  had  been  cut  through  by  the  chisel  of  the  lapidary,  in 
quarrying  them.  Two  of  them  were  over  two  inches  in  diam- 
eter, and  might  have  been  detached,  had  a  hammer  been  at 
hand.  Those  mighty  mountains  of  hewn  stone  are  just  on 
the  edge  of  the  Libyan  desert,  upon  a  hard  rock,  that  was 
levelled  to  receive  them  ;  and  when  I  stood  near  the  Sphinx, 
looking  up  to  them,  in  the  excitement  of  astonishment,  it 
occurred  to  me  that  Moses,  Plato,  Manetho,  and  priests,  philos- 
ophers and  historians,  whose  names  have  come  down  to  our 
times,  may  have  stood  upon  the  same  spot,  and  raised  their 
eyes  in  bewilderment  to  the  same  identical  monster  fabrications. 
When  the  Jews  were  in  captivity,  the  pjTamids  were  there,  in 
their  pristine  greatness. 

A  French  savan  was  living  in  a  tomb,  a  little  south-west  of 
the  Sphinx,  at  work  upon  the  hieroglyphics.  The  national 
flag  was  flying  at  the  top  of  a  short  pole,  and  he  labored  under 
its  protection.  It  was  reported  that  some  new  light  had  been 
thrown  upon  the  chronology  of  Egypt ;  and  that,  instead  of  there 
having  been  as  many  dynasties  and  kings  as  generally  sup- 
posed, there  had  been  several  kingdoms  where  tradition  or 
historians  had  believed  there  had  been  but  one.  With  that 
idea  for  a  stimulus,  the  gentleman  in  the  tomb  was  represented 
to  be  copying  and  studying  inscriptions  anew.  Where  he 
found  half  a  dozen  characters  in  Geezeh  is  a  problem,  as  I 


OSi  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

never  saw  one,  save  an  out-of-place  inscription  directly  over  the 
entrance  into  the  pyramid  of  Cheops,  by  that  depredator  upon 
the  antiquities  of  Egypt,  Dr.  Lepsius,  who  is  rightly  called 
Cambyses,  the  second  destroyer;  whose  acts  of  destruction 
and  whose  faithful  services  may  have  enriched  the  museum  of 
his  master,  at  Berlin,  by  inflicting  irreparable  injury  to  the 
monuments  of  the  Pharaohs.  There  is  something  in  reserva- 
tion in  regard  to  his  depredations ;  for  he  should  be  held  up  to 
archaeologists  in  the  true  light  of  a  despoiler,  whose  learned 
dissertations  are  not  to  be  received  as  an  atonement  and  apology 
for  the  great  injuries  that  mark  his  visitations  to  the  temples 
and  burial-places  of  ancient  Egypt.  Possibly  there  might 
have  been  a  few  symbolical  characters  on  the  lids  of  some 
slate-stone  sarcophagi,  lying  on  the  sand,  at  the  east  of  the 
pyramids. 

Most  of  the  land  for  ten  miles  around  being  flooded,  the  jaunt 
was  full  ten  miles  on  the  side  of  dikes,  to  reach  the  place  so 
ardently  desired.  We  met  a  prodigious  crowd  of  people,  young 
and  old,  male  and  female,  going  to  a  fair.  Some  were  on  asses, 
some  on  camels,  but  far  the  largest  part  on  foot.  All  the 
women  were  bearing  something  on  their  heads,  which  they 
were  carrjnng  for  sale.  When  they  came  to  the  canal,  they 
waded  across.  The  men  stripped  ;  but  the  women  raised  their 
one  garment  according  to  the  depth,  bearing  the  weight  stead- 
ily upon  their  heads,  and  lowering  the  frock  down  as  they 
gradually  approached  the  opposite  side. 

One  eye  is  more  fashionable  than  two ;  for  where  there  are 
two,  one  is  a  superfluity.  No  one  is  so  extravagant  as  to  have 
a  couple.  Both  aged  and  youth  are  blind  of  one  organ  in 
such  numbers  as  to  call  forth  remark  at  once.  Here,  too,  one 
or  two  front  teeth  were  missing  from  the  upper  jaws  of  the 
Arabs.     The  right  forefinger  of  all  the  middle-aged  men  was 


MEN     OF    TIIK     LOWER    CliASSES.    Tagc  Si 


CAUSES   OF   KGYl'TIAN   OPUTHALMIA.  85 

gone.  I  was  assured  that  it  had  been  common  for  mothers 
to  put  sand  or'  lime  into  the  right  eye  of  their  male  infants, 
soon  after  birth,  which  effectually  destroyed  vision,  that,  when 
grown  up,  they  might  be  disqualified  for  the  army ;  it  being 
understood  that  aim  could  not  be  taken  with  a  musket,  when 
that  one  was  gone.  Mohammed  Ali,  some  time  before  his 
death,  put  a  stop  to  the  universal  maiming  of  the  fellahs, 
which  had  become  infectious,  by  impressing  a  regiment  of 
one-eyed  men.  This  unnatural  act  of  mothers  shows  in  what 
dread  they  stood  of  the  army;  and  how  insecure  was  the  per- 
sonal liberty  of  the  farmers,  who  might  be  driven,  without  a 
moment's  notice,  from  their  fields,  their  families  and  friends, 
to  fight  battles  in  which  they  had  no  interest,  in  a  service 
from  which  there  was  neither  promise  or  prospect  of  release. 
As  I  saw  no  small  children  who  had  been  purposely  blinded 
by  the  parents,  I  infer  a  discontinuance  of  the  barbarous  prac- 
tice. 

From  a  careful  examination,  I  am  convinced  that  the  extreme 
prevalence  of  ophthalmia  in  adults  is  owing,  in  part,  to  the 
turban,  there  being  no  projecting  rim  to  it,  for  a  shade  to  the 
eyes,  like  the  visor  of  an  ordinary  cap.  Those  who  do  not 
wear  that  hot,  heavy  head-gear,  substitute  the  tarbousch,  —  a 
thick  red  felt  cap,  without  a  rim,  and,  consequently,  admitting 
the  strong  rays  of  the  sun  directly  into  the  eyes.  Then  the 
heated  sand,  reflecting  the  light  with  the  intensity  of  a  mirror, 
contributes  to  produce  an  irritability  of  the  visual  apparatus, 
which  may  degenerate  into  total  blindness.  Excessive  neg- 
ligence in  not  bathing  the  eyes,  the  accumulation  of  filth  at 
their  angles,  and  the  irritation  of  winds  loaded  with  fine  dust, 
are  direct  causes.  Mothers  pay  no  attention  whatever  to  the 
condition  of  the  faces  or  eyes  of  their  children ;  and  the  conse- 
quence is,  they  become  offensively  foul,  and  purulent  discharges 
8 


86  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

are  established.  This  observation  applies  particularly  to  the 
lowest  condition  of  society,  where  partial  or  total  blindness  is 
most  common.  Although  regarded  by  themselves,  and  the 
ordinary  class  of  medical  practitioners  in  Egypt,  —  who  are 
principally  good-for-nothing  Italian  impostors,  —  as  infectious, 
I  saw  enough  to  convince  me  that  when  the  disease  is  trans- 
mitted from  one  child  to  another,  it  is  by  the  transportation  of 
matter  on  the  feet  and  probosces  of  flies.  They  swarm  in 
Egypt  beyond  all  other  places  in  the  world  ;  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  great  amount  of  good  they  do  in  the  general  economy 
of  nature,  where  their  services  are  invaluable,  they  are  actually, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  the  propagators  of  ophthalmia.  An 
English  lady,  who  has  resided  in  Alexandria  many  years,  and 
is  perfectly  familiar  with  the  customs  of  the  Arabs,  assured  me 
that  an  opinion  prevails  among  them  that  it  would  be  disastrous 
to  wash  an  infant  till  it  is  one  year  old ;  and  consequently, 
from  the  hour  they  are  ushered  into  existence,  to  the  termina- 
tion of  twelve  months,  the  dirty  little  brats  are  never  washed. 
This  fact,  alone,  would  seem  to  lay  the  foundation  for  other  as 
well  as  ophthalmic  disorders.  I  have  often  watched  devout 
Moslems  perched  on  the  rim  of  a  water-tank,  in  front  of 
mosques,  preparing  to  enter  for  prayers,  ingeniously  bathing  all 
round  the  orbits,  without  wetting  their  eyes.  Even  the  com- 
mon boatmen,  in  the  morning,  on  the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  will 
carefully  wash  the  forehead,  mouth,  and  concha  of  the  ears, 
but  never  dampen  their  eyelids. 

Alarming  accounts  of  the  sweeping  desolations  of  the  cholera 
in  Alexandria  met  us  in  Naples,  in  Messina,  and  at  Malta ; 
but  when  we  arrived  at  Alexandria,  and  went  fearlessly  into 
it,  nothing  more  was  heard  of  its  terribleness.  In  Cairo,  it  was 
represented  that  cholera  had  been  a  devastating  angel,  at  places 
of  which  Europeans  have  but  an  imperfect  geographical  knowl- 


BIRTHS   IN    EGYPT.  87 

edge.  A  gentleman  informed  me  that  an  army  of  pilgrims 
halted,  the  last  season,  at  Damascus,  to  recruit  a  while,  when  the 
cholera  broke  out,  and  swept  off  nine  thousand  in  a  single  day. 
The  Arabs  insist  that  the  flesh  of  the  goats  and  sheep,  when 
the  scourge  rages  in  Syria,  is  poisonous,  and  those  who  eat  of 
it  are  more  liable  than  others  to  die  of  cholera. 

Infantile  life  is  very  insecure  :  teething  and  small-pox  sweep 
off  thousands  annually.  As  the  government  gathers  no  statis- 
tical information,  and  an  impression  is  abroad  that  the  collec- 
tion of  such  facts  would  not  be  tolerated,  neither  the  mortality 
of  children  nor  adults  can  be  determined.  Through  the  influ- 
ence of  some  distinguished  person,  a  register  of  births  and 
deaths  was  posted  up  on  the  side  of  the  post-office  in  Alexan- 
dria. All  the  while  I  remained  there,  the  same  identical  Arabic 
line  remained,  and  my  curiosity  one  day  prompted  me  to  have 
it  translated.  It  simply  stated  that  there  had  been  a  still-birth 
in  the  city !  In  Cairo,  some  approximation  towards  a  registra- 
tion of  deaths  is  attempted ;  but  whether  reliance  is  to  be  placed 
on  the  municipal  returns,  is  questionable. 

That  the  births  in  Eg}-pt  are  far  greater  than  the  deaths,  is 
manifest  from  the  visible  increase  of  population ;  yet  there  are 
no  inquiries  or  returns  that  give  a  clue  to  the  exact  annual 
increase.  Females  are  prolific ;  and  even  in  harems,  where  the 
theory  is  that  few  children  are  born,  a  few  known  facts  make 
it  certain  that,  even  under  the  conditions  imposed  upon  them 
there,  some  establishments  are  prosperous  in  that  respect. 
Ahmet  Jayer  Pasha,  who  recently  died,  assured  an  English 
gentleman  of  my  acquaintance,  residing  at  Alexandria,  that  he 
was  the  father  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  children ;  and  further, 
that  he  once  lost  thirty  in  one  season  by  infantile  complaints  ! 
Many  parallel  cases  might  be  brought  to  light,  were  an  inquiry 
instituted.     It  is  extremely  rare  that  any  one,  of  whom  the 


OO  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

inquiry  is  made,  knows  his  age.  They  reckon  from  some 
memorable  epoch,  in  ascertaining  the  years  of  a  child,  when 
asked.  For  example,  when  Artim  Bey,  the  runaway  treasurer 
of  the  pasha,  made  his  escape  with  his  master's  money,  a  cer- 
tain boy  was  one  year  old;  and  then,  by  ascertaining  how  long 
since  that  occurred,  they  approximate  within  a  few  months  of 
the  true  period.  In  well-regulated  families,  —  that  is,  organ- 
ized as  all  well-to-do  people  conduct  a  family  establishment,  — 
the  age  of  a  child  is  probably  remembered  from  correct  data ; 
but  how  or  when  they  begin  to  count  the  months  or  years,  I  am 
quite  uncertain,  except  from  the  Hegira. 

If  mention  is  not  here  made  of  the  state  of  medicine  and  the 
medical  school,  of  which  such  marvels  have  been  related,  —  the 
creation  of  Clot  Bey,  —  it  may  be  forgotten.  The  fact  is,  the 
boasted  institution  has  but  a  nominal  existence.  European 
physicians  are  in  far  better  repute  than  any  of  home  manufac- 
ture. Arabs  and  Turks  may  bleed,  apply  blisters,  and  other- 
wise torment  the  living;  but  they  are  miserably  poor  practition- 
ers. The  Italians,  as  before  asserted,  push  their  way  in  Egypt 
more  successfully  than  those  from  any  other  nation,  particularly 
in  the  half-fledged  hospitals,  dispensaries,  and  medical  stations. 
They  succeeded,  in  the  beginning  of  Mohammed  Ali's  reign,  in 
worming  themselves  into  service;  and  then  had  the  address  to 
monopolize  the  quarantine  departments,  which  were  mainly 
established  through  their  supple  intriguing,  and  love  for  play- 
ing a  part  in  every  despotism. 

Lower  Egypt,  and  possibly  the  Upper,  is  set  off  into  medical 
divisions.  One  Italian  may  have  ten  villages  within  his  juris- 
diction, which  he  visits  several  times  a  year.  He  takes  both 
sides  of  the  river,  perhaps,  for  twenty  miles ;  and  gets  a  poor 
salary  for  doing  nothing  but  making  a  false  show  of  professional 
business.    Through  some  extraordinary  necromancy,  not  clearly 


EGYPTIAN    PHYSICIANS.  89 

understood,  the  German  physicians  have  dispossessed  the 
French,  who  were  in  the  ascendant  under  the  late  viceroy ;  but 
Abbas  Pasha  no  sooner  got  possession  of  the  ruling  power,  than 
he  expelled  Clot  Bey  from  Egypt,  and,  with  him,  a  large  number 
of  those  who  had  assisted  him  in  transforming  Arab  boys  into 
operative  surgeons  for  the  army  and  navy  of  the  pasha.  The 
wise  Clot  Bey  was  eminently  qualified  to  raise  up  an  institution 
for  teaching  anatomy  and  medicine,  if  any  one  could  ;  and  any- 
body, with  a  grain  of  common  sense,  could  have  accomplished 
all  that  he  did,  by  the  sustaining  assistance  of  unlimited  power 
and  unrestricted  resources.  He  was  accused  —  perhaps  with 
some  show  of  reason  —  of  building  up  a  museum  of  instru- 
ments, the  most  extensive,  extraordinary,  useless  and  expensive, 
in  the  world.  When  he  left,  in  a  cloud  of  unpopularity,  with 
an  ignorant  man  at  the  head  of  affairs,  he  succeeded  in  saving 
a  fortune.    He  is  now  living  on  past  honors  and  interest-money. 

To  return  to  the  matter  of  practice  :  Physicians  who  have 
been  consulted  in  the  harem  find  the  Circassian  ladies  have  an 
invariable  repugnance  to  showing  their  tongues,  or  exposing 
their  wrists  for  the  pulse  ;  nor  are  they  willing  a  medical  man 
should  enter  their  sacred  apartment,  except  under  the  most 
urgent  circumstances.  In  my  future  prelections  on  the  way 
and  manner  of  practising  medicine  in  Turkey,  it  will  be  found 
that  quackery  is  admirably  sustained  there ;  and,  further,  that 
old  women  are  in  higher  request,  in  chronic  diseases,  than  the 
most  eminent  in  the  profession. 

A  word  more  of  the  pyramids  of  Geezeh.  I  ranged  about 
them,  looked  at  the  Sphinx  in  what  there  is  left  of  its  face;  and, 
while  raising  my  wondering  optics  to  the  amazing  mass  of 
hewn  stone,  —  the  oldest  monuments  of  human  hands  on  the 
globe,  —  two  gray  foxes,  or  jackals, —  it  was  not  easily  deter- 
mined which,  —  came  out  from  between  the  stones,  about  two 
8* 


4^       ^  ^^  ^   riLGlUMAOE   TO    EGYPT. 

hundred  feet  up,  and,  discovering  strangers,  popped  their  heads 
>L.     ^      .in  agaiaj  and  skulked  away. 


—JC 


J 


There  is  a  vast  region  to  be  explored  to  the  east  of  the  pyra- 
mid of  Cheops,  about  the  Sphinx,  and  Campbell's  tomb.     No 
~  doubt  the  ledge  of  limestone  rock  is  excavated  extensively ;  and 
^    J  mummy-pits,  complicated  in  structure,  containing  stone  coffins, 
5  ?*  and  ■  thousands  of  human  bodies,  now  concealed  by  the  accu- 
'^,  ^  mulated  sand-drifts  of  ages,  will  hereafter  be  removed,  and 
.  S  discoveries  quite  as  extraordinary  as  any  yet  made  in  the  land 
'^r_3'  of  the  Pharaohs  will  reward  the  industry  of  those  who  engage 
in  the  research.     The  fore-paws  of  the  Sphinx  are  reputed  to 
have  a  temple  between  them ;  and  even  the  body,  buried  to 
the  depth  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  may  itself  prove  to  be  a 
treasure  of  incalculable  interest  to  antiquarians. 

It  is  the  common  impression  that  the  Sphinx  Avas  a  portion 

of  the  ledge  on  which  the  pyramids  stand.     Although  we  were 

^     i  unable  to  ascend  to  the  head,  on  account  of  its  height,  —  the  face 

i.        of  which  is  shockingly  mutilated,  —  that  part  has  the  appear- 

^         ance  of  being  constructed  of  several  artificial  layers  of  stone, 

admirably  fitted  together. 

One  of  the  naked,  supple  Arab  guides  insisted  upon  having 

.    a  shilling  to  ascend  the   second  large  pyramid,  the  apex  of 

-*•>  "^which  is  covered  by  a  smooth  cement,  that  formerly  covered  the 

whole,  but  which  was  stripped  off,- for  aug:ht  we  know,  three 

^  .P  ,     .^J^l  ^    .^.^v^     M'X-'t    >*.vi  0<^%SU  . 


ASCENT   OF   TIIK    PYRAMID   OF    fllKOPS.  91 

thousand  years  ago.  I  have  no  words  to  express  my  feelings 
of  astonishment  at  what  the  old  Egyptians  accomplished.  If 
there  were  no  pyramids  at  all,  the  ranges  of  tombs  at  the  back, 
or,  rather,  western  side  of  the  great  one,  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  have  established  their  mechanical  fame  and  artistical 
taste,  independently  of  the  skill  of  the  unknown  constructors. 
The  vast  dimensions  of  individual  stones  in  the  rows  of  apart- 
ments, scarcely  mentioned  in  books  of  travel ;  the  nicety  of  the 
plan ;  the  imposing  character  of  the  fronts,  that  appear  to  have 
once  loomed  up  on  the  edge  of  the  Desert  of  Libya,  in  which 
the  illustrious  dead  were  laid,  near  to  the  royal  sepulchres,  — 
for  such  the  pyramids  must  have  been,  —  have  no  parallel  in 
the  world. 

On  approaching  the  base  of  Cheops,  a  dozen  or  inore  guides 
clamorously  presented  themselves,  and  each  wanted  the  job  of 
escorting  us  to  the  top  and  interior.  The  sheik  of  the  district 
—  a  sober,  hard-featured  Arab,  whose  skin,  without  a  wrinkle, 
had  the  appearance  of  being  baked  to  the  bones  —  asked  a  fee 
for  allowing  us  to  ascend.  The  chattering  rascals,  as  they 
afterwards  proved,  struck  for  backshiesh,  which  they  could  not 
get.  They  exaggerated  the  difficulty  of  going  up,  —  a  tedious 
process,  to  be  sure,  on  account  of  the  high  step  from  one  tier  to 
the  next,  the  blocks  being  near  a  yard  thick.  When  the  prices 
had  been  agreed  upon,  three  Arabs  took  me,  one  at  each  hand, 
and  the  third  behind.  While  lifting  a  foot  to  begin  a  step,  they 
hoisted  me  up  in  a  jiffy,  and  then  up  the  next,  and  so  on,  at  a 
speed  that  was  never  experienced  before  in  going  up-hill.  Just 
before  reacning  the  ^ex,  —  a  frightful  altitude  to  look  from, — 
my  hat  blew  off.  One  of  the  nude  racers  sprang  for  it  down 
towards  the  Sphinx,  faster  than  some  run  on  level  ground,  and 
overtook  it,  borne  off  as  it  was  by  a  triumphant  gust  of  wind. 


92  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

An  English  sixpence  paid  that;  but  at  every  step,  all  three 
begged  lustily.  When  a  bargain  has  been  fully  and  honorably 
sustained,  and  every  farthing  paid,  according  to  a  stipulation, 
if  backshiesh  is  not  given  an  Arab,  he  feels  abused  and  mal- 
treated. It  matters  not  who  it  is,  —  from  a  general  to  a  don- 
key-boy,— the  everlasting,  hateful  w^ord  backshiesh  is  bellowed 
in  our  ears.  When  fairly  on  the  level  space,  —  perhaps  forty 
feet  square,  —  giving  abundant  evidence,  by  the  loose  blocks 
lying  promiscuously  about,  that  the  structure  once  went  higher, 
—  no  doubt  to  a  point,  —  they  all  clamored  again  for  back- 
shiesh. They  said  the  old  sheik,  when  we  were  gone,  would 
take  away  nearly  all  we  were  to  give  them.  The  descent  was 
accomplished  without  assistance,  but  attended  with  prodigious 
fatigue,  aggravated  by  the  possibility  of  making  a  misstep,  and 
rolling  over  and  over  to  the  bottom,  where  the  roUee  would  find 
himself  mulled  into  jelly. 

In  Herschel's  Astronomy  occurs  the  folio-wing: 
"At  the  date  of  the  erection  of  the  great  pyramid  of  Geezeh, 
which  precedes  by  3970  years  (say  4000)  the  present  epoch, 
the  longitudes  of  all  the  stars  were  less,  by  55°  45',  than  at 
present.  Calculating,  from  this  datum,  the  place  of  the  pole 
of  the  heavens  among  the  stars,  it  will  be  found  to  fall  near  a 
Draconis  ;  its  distance  from  that  star  being  8°  44'  25".  This 
being  the  most  conspicuous  star  in  the  immediate  neighborhood, 
was  therefore  the  pole-star  at  the  epoch.  And  the  latitude  of 
Geezeh  being  just  30°  north,  and,  consequently,  the  altitude  of 
the  north  pole  there  also  30°,  it  follows  that  the  star  in  question 
must  have  had,  at  its  lower  culmination, "lit  Geezeh,  an  altitude 
of  26°  15'  35".  Now,  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  ascertained  by 
the  late  researches  of  Col.  Vyse,  that,  of  the  nine  pyramids 
still  existing,  all  have  narrow  passages,  by  which  alone  they 
can  be  entered  (all  which  open  out  on  the  northern  faces  of 


ARAB   BEGOABS.  93 

their  respective  pyramids),  inclined  to  the  horizon,  downward, 
at  angles  as  follows,  in  three  of  them  : 

Pyramid  of  Cheops, 26=41'. 

Pyramid  of  Cephren, 25^  55'. 

Pyramid  of  Mycerinus, 26^  02'. 

Of  the  two  pymmids  at  Abousseir,  also,  which  alone  exist  in  a 
state  of  sufficient  preservation  to  admit  of  the  inclinations  of 
their  entrance  passages  being  determined,  one  has  the  angle 
27°  5',  the  other,  20°. 

"  At  the  bottom  of  every  one  of  these  passages,  therefore,  the 
then  pole  star  must  have  been  visible  at  its  lower  culmination ; 
—  a  circumstance  which  can  hardly  be  supposed  to  have  been 
unintentional,  and  was  doubtless  connected  (perhaps  supersti- 
tiously)  with  astronomical  observations  of  that  star,  of  whose 
proximity  to  the  pole  at  the  epoch  of  the  erection  of  those  won- 
derful structures,  we  are  thus  furnished  with  a  monumental 
record,  of  the  most  imperishable  nature." 

Ha^^ng  completed  our  explorations  of  the  pyramids,  and  suf- 
ficiently gazed  on  the  surrounding  scener}'',  —  for  there  were 
the  green  fields  and  the  river  between  us  and  Cairo,  and  a 
grand  view  from  the  lofty  elevation  of  Cheops,  both  up  and 
down  the  great  valley,  and  far  over  the  slender  minarets,  quite 
into  the  arid  desert  of  Arabia,  —  we  made  preparations  for  a 
departure.  The  donkeys,  with  their  drivers,  were  waiting, 
half  a  mile  distant,  in  a  shady  spot,  on  the  margin  of  the  sand, 
I  made  several  attempts  to  walk  behind  the  pyramid  of  Cephren, 
and  further  back,  to  the  third  one,  smaller  still ;  but  some  one 
of  the  Arabs  would  invariably  pop  in  upon  me,  and  solicit 
backshiesh.  At  length  I  signified,  by  unmistakable  gesticula- 
tions, to  the  most  importunate  of  the  company,  something  about 
blowing  his  brains  out  if  he  did  not  keep  out  of  my  sight,  which 


94  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

had  the  happy  effect  of  leaving  me  by  myself,  for  contempla- 
tion. He  declared  it  was  the  pasha's  order  that  no  travellers 
should  be  left  alone  ;  and,  besides,  he  undertook  to  frighten  me 
with  the  possibility  of  being  carried  off  into  the  desert  by  the 
Bedouins,  who  sometimes  rushed  down  over  the  sand-swells 
beyond,  and  secured  their  prey. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  canals,  in  all  directions,  — 
being  full  of  water,  —  that  the  ride  was  very  circuitous,  on  the 
tops  of  the  dikes.  We  could  not  get  nearer  than  a  mile  and  a 
half  of  the  pyramids,  in  consequence  of  a  break  in  one  of  the 
cross  dikes,  over  which  a  clumsy  bridge  appeared  to  have 
recently  fallen.  A  rude,  dirty,  heavy  boat,  fortunately,  was 
near  where  we  left  the  donkeys.  It  was  something  of  an  effort 
to  bargain  with  the  fellow  at  the  helm,  who  saw  our  condition, 
and  was  disposed  to  take  every  advantage  of  it,  to  extort  a 
price.  We  utterly  refused  to  comply  with  his  terms  once,  and 
thought  of  returning  to  Cairo,  and  approaching  the  pyramids  by 
a  higher  route  ;  and  off  he  sailed.  Our  indifference,  in  appear- 
ance, probably  suggested  to  his  mind  that  a  moderate  fee  was 
better  than  none ;  so  back  he  came,  and  we  embarked.  The 
sail  w^as  over  flooded  fields,  where  the  water  was  extremely 
shallow ;  and  several  times  the  punt  grounded.  When  poles 
and  oars  could  not  move  it,  over  they  jumped  into  liquid  mud, 
and  forced  it  out  of  the  adhesive  bed  with  their  shoulders.  A 
fellow  —  wild,  fierce,  stout,  and  of  a  bronze  hue —  swam  off  to 
us  from  quite  a  distance,  and  begged  to  be  a  guide.  When  all 
the  company  were  in  readiness,  and  the  visitation  of  the  pyra- 
mids over,  we  hurried  back  to  the  boat,  the  rabble  of  noisy, 
begging,  all  but  naked  Arabs  of  two  villages  following,  beseech- 
ing for  backshiesh,  whether  they  had  been  employed  or  not; 
and  even  those  who  had  been  paid  for  their  services  were  quite 
as  annoying  as  others.     It  was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  the 


D0XKEY3   AND    TILEIR    DRIVEKS.  95 

old  hulk  of  a  boat  was  forced  through  the  mud  and  swift  cur- 
rents, —  where  the  water  rushed  through  breaches  in  the  dikes, 
from  a  higher  level,  —  and  other  obstructions,  to  where  the 
patient  asses  stood  in  waiting.  The  ride,  towards  evening, 
back  to  the  river,  was  delightful,  where  we  crossed  a  miserable 
kvxy,  over  to  Old  Cairo.  There  is  no  wharf  or  landing  on 
either  side  ;  and  the  crowd  of  boats,  of  all  sizes,  laden  with  peo- 
ple, cattle  and  donkeys,  is  astonishing.  When  a  person  is 
seen  who  looks  as  though  he  wished  to  cross,  ever\'  boatman 
rushes  for  a  customer ;  and  the  cheapest,  as  a  general  rule, 
gets  the  job,  —  though  the  appearance  of  the  boat  has  some 
weight.  The  river  is  exceedingly  swift  at  the  ford,  —  boiling 
like  a  pot,  at  different  points,  and  surging  along  by  the  soft 
bank  with  the  spirit  of  the  Mississippi  at  its  junction  with  the 
Ohio.  The  toat  was  brought  as  near  as  it  could  be,  and  we 
sprang  out  \ipon  a  palm-tree  log,  resembling  a  monstrous  cab- 
bage-stump. Down  came  the  donkeys  next.  If  they  mani- 
fest reluctance, —  as  they  always  do,  —  they  are  forced  in  or 
out,  without  apolog}'.  In  any  other  country  on  earth,  it  would 
be  considered  the  height  of  temerity  to  attempt  crossing  a  river 
of  such  magnitude  in  conveyances  so  frail  as  some  of  the  boats 
appear,  and  invariably  laden  with  human  beings  to  the  utmost 
capacity  of  stowage.  With  a  torn  sail,  oars  of  spliced  poles, 
and  pipes  in  their  mouths,  the  active  aquarians  soon  strike  the 
opposite  shore  in  safety. 

The  little  obstinate  donkeys  were  now  urged  to  the  top  of 
their  speed,  lest  the  gates  should  be  closed  before  we  could 
reach  the  wall.  The  drivers  run  from  morning  till  night, 
thumping  and  pricking  the  animals  every  few  steps,  keeping 
up  without  apparent  fatigue.  I  have  known  a  driver  stop  on 
the  way,  to  drink  a  cup  of  coffee,  and,  perhaps,  afterwards, 
smoke  a  pipe,  while  the  donkeys  were  going  off  at  a  satisfac- 


96  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

tory  speed,  trotting  and  galloping  alternately ;  and  yet  he  would 
come  on,  running  in  a  hotter  sun  than  we  have  in  July,  with- 
out any  appearance  of  unusual  exertion  or  fatigue.  They  fare 
poorly,  —  breakfasting  on  a  loaf  of  soft  millet  bread,  and  drink- 
ing water.  They  rarely  taste  meat ;  and  the  only  stimulus 
they  ever  indulge  in  is  a  small  cup  of  cofTee,  the  size  of  half  an 
egg-shell,  made  thick  as  chocolate,  and  without  sugar  or  milk. 
My  observations  on  this  class  of  men  have  convinced  me  that 
the  coarser  the  diet,  and  the  more  actively  the  muscles  are 
employed,  the  freer  they  are  from  organic  derangements,  from 
chronic  affections,  and  the  liability  to  acute  diseases. 

We  finally  concluded  a  negotiation  with  the  father  of  the 
reis  who  brought  us  from  Alexandria,  for  the  same  boat  and 
crew,  for  a  voyage  to  Upper  Egypt.  He  was  a  noble-looking 
Arab,  and  seemed  too  young  to  be  the  father  of  the  captain 
with  whom  we  had  been  sailing.  He  said  he  had  two  wives, 
and  that  he  owned  several  boats ;  and,  for  intelligence,  activity 
and  general  appearance,  he  very  much  surpassed  his  son,  reis 
Abuzeds,  of  vvhom  there  is  more  to  be  related.  A  written  bar- 
gain was  entered  into,  and  a  part  of  the  money  paid  in  advance. 
When  he  called  at  our  lodgings,  he  squatted  on  the  floor,  leav- 
ing his  shoes  at  the  door.  At  the  vice-consul's  office,  where 
the  contract  was  drawn  up,  read  to  him,  and  interpreted  to  us, 
witnesses  were  called  to  affix  their  signets ;  and  he  pressed  on 
the  seal  of  his  big  ring,  moistened  with  ink,  each  party  taking 
a  copy. 

While  our  supplies  were  collecting,  —  charcoal,  a  cooking 
apparatus,  pots,  pans,  bottles,  flour,  sugar,  coffee,  dates,  rice, 
plates,  coffee-pot,  tea-cups,  filtering-jar,  pepper,  salt,  and  a  hun- 
dred such  kind  of  articles  as  make  up  a  house-keeping  stock, 
besides  various  kinds  of  vegetables,  fresh  meats,  and  poultry. 


APOTUECARY      SHOP.     Page  99. 


THE   BAZAARS.  99 

—  we  again  ransacked  the  city  of  Cairo,  that  nothing  worth 
seeing  should  be  left  unseen. 

One  day  was  set  apart  for  the  bazaars.  I  defy  any  one  to 
convey  a  true  idea  of  the  appearance  of  an  Arab  store,  or  its 
contents.  It  is,  in  the  first  place,  so  very  small,  that  it  would 
seem  beneath  the  ambition  of  a  boy  ten  years  of  age  to  be 
engaged  in  such  trifling  business,  where  a  capital,  in  thousands 
of  instances,  cannot  exceed  one  hundred  dollars.  All  the  sad- 
dlers and  saddlery  are  in  a  street  by  themselves ;  so  it  is  with 
tinmen  and  copper-dish  manufacturers.  They  have  a  peculiar 
love  for  copper  vessels.  Nearly  all  the  kitchen  furniture  is  of 
copper.  In  the  coffee-shops,  every  pot  and  can  is  of  copper, 
and  black  and  filthy  beyond  endurance  to  my  eyes.  Calico- 
dealers,  blanket-dealers,  overcoat-makers,  tailors,  &c.  &c., 
beyond  recollection  or  enumeration,  are  congregated  together. 
There  is,  therefore,  one  advantage  in  the  arrangement,  that  it  is 
known  precisely  where  to  go  for  anything  that  is  for  sale.  I 
even  saw  shops  where  broken  crockery  was  mended.  It  was 
amusing  to  watch  the  industry  of  a  chap,  with  pincers,  in  a 
great  turban,  seated  in  the  centre  of  a  pile  of  broken  dishes, 
matching  two  pieces  of  different  colors.  A  pudding-dish,  when 
repaired,  might  be  half  blue  on  one  side,  and  white  on  the  other. 
Shoemakers  are  immensely  numerous  ;  but  they  are  tolerated, 
not  unfrequently,  in  a  recess  in  a  street,  under  an  awning,  or  on 
a  mat  against  a  wall,  and  in  door-ways.  Barbers  spread  mats 
on  the  ground,  in  the  bright  sunshine,  and  drive  a  flourishing 
trade  in  the  squares  and  Frank-street.  Every  Moslem  has  his 
head  shaven  as  often  as  he  can  afford  it.  It  is  enjoined,  has 
reference  to  cleanliness,  prevents  the  nestling  of  vermin,  and, 
lastly,  it  is  a  luxury.  No  lather,  or  soap,  in  any  form,  is  ever 
used.  Squatted  on  the  mat,  the  operator  wets  his  own  hand 
in  a  basin  of  water,  and  rubs  the  stiff  bristles  he  proposes  to  cut 


100  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

off.  The  razor  is  a  hea^y  stubb-blade,  two  inches  and  a  half 
long,  in  a  wooden  handle,  like  a  shoe-knife.  Yet  they  are 
expert,  and  in  a  surprisingly  short  time  have  the  whole  head 
smooth  as  an  ivorj'  ball.  There  are  a  plenty  of  barber-shops, 
—  dark,  greasy  rooms,  opening  on  the  street,  with  benches  run- 
ning round  the  sides,  on  which  customers  sit.  There  is  no 
fixed  price,  —  every  one  paying  just  what  he  conceives  the 
process  to  be  worth  ;  and  no  questions  are  asked,  nor  any  grum- 
blings heard  that  it  is  not  enough.  One  long  lock,  on  the  top 
of  the  crown,  is  left,  for  the  prophet  to  hoist  them  by  into  par- 
adise. 

We  took  a  look  into  a  Greek  church,  at  the  urgent  solicita- 
tion of  an  oily  Syrian,  acting  as  deputy  for  the  American 
vice-consul,  who  was  at  Damietta,  about  his  own  business, 
instead  of  that  which  he  was,  by  virtue  of  his  office,  appointed 
to  conduct.  It  was  a  shabby  affair,  bearing  considerable 
resemblance  to  ordinan,-  Catholic  churches,  but  inferior  in 
workmanship ;  and  the  saints,  by  dozens,  with  unpronounc- 
able  names,  looked  as  though  they  were  painted  with  a  birch 
broom,  and  gilded  with  sheet-brass.  It  was  a  trick  to  sponge 
something  for  the  priest,  who  could  not  be  expected  to  leave  his 
sanctimonious  employments,  to  gratify  heretics  from  the  Xew 
World,  without  backshiesh,  —  a  word  that  made  me  boil  over 
with  wrath  whenever  uttered,  since  it  was  in  everybody's  mouth. 
In  the  course  of  this  dian,-,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  refer  to  this 
assistant  to  the  United  States  vice-consul  again,  as  through  his 
dishonesty  we  suffered  both  a  loss  of  time  and  money. 

One  morning  we  met  a  long  procession  of  dirty,  boisterous 
children,  a  part,  if  not  the  whole  of  them,  howling  like  devils, 
and  followed  by  groups  of  veiled  women.  No  one  of  whom 
we  inquired  could  explain  the  meaning  of  it.  About  the 
same  time,  I  was  accosted  bv  a  woman,  with  an  infant  in 


SIGHT-SEEING    IN    CAIRO.  101 

her  arms,  begging  money  to  put  at  interest  for  her  child  when 
she  was  married,  —  a  common  custom.  It  may  be  observed 
here,  that  there  are  no  old  maids  in  Egypt :  every  one  is  sure 
to  have  a  turn  at  matrimony.  Divorces,  however,  are  more 
frequent  than  summer  showers.  Sometimes  the  wife,  but  more 
frequently  the  husband,  seeks  a  separation,  on  the  most  frivolous 
pretexts.  When  a  man  has  four  wives,  he  does  not  hesitate  long 
when  he  wishes  to  lessen  his  household.  Although  a  common 
man  has  been  frequently  known  to  divorce  four  wives  in  a 
single  year,  and  even  more,  it  creates  no  kind  of  surprise.  Of 
marriage,  divorces,  the  harem,  the  economy  of  every-day  life  in 
the  family,  and  the  customs  and  institutions  of  the  Coptic 
church,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter. 

We  passed  an  enclosure  where  I  saw  a  tall,  splendid  giraffe, 
just  arrived  from  an  undefined  region  on  the  Upper  Nile,  the 
property  of  the  pasha.  I  also  passed  another  yard,  belonging 
to  his  highness,  where  a  very  stout,  heavy  ostrich  was  walking 
about  the  premises.  They  were  none  the  less  curious  for  being 
seen  on  the  continent  where  they  are  natives.  No  one  seemed 
to  know  or  have  any  idea  of  where  they  came  from,  beyond  the 
common  notion  that  whatever  is  unaccountable  or  mysterious 
in  animal  organization  comes  down  the  Nile.  When  I  inquired 
where  the  dancing-girls  came  from,  the  answer  was  precisely 
the  same,  —  from  down  the  Nile.  Now,  as  they  were  neither 
Arabs,  Copts,  Berbers,  or  Africans,  the  question  was  one  worth 
solving,  both  in  a  physiological  and  ethnological  view,  since 
they  are  more  numerous  than  giraffes  or  ostriches.  They 
resemble  the  Gypsies  of  England,  and  the  Malays.  This  will 
come  under  consideration  again. 

We  often  passed  shops,  in  the  bazaars,  in  which  the  enter- 
prising proprietor  was  fast  asleep  on  a  rug ;  others  were  left 
entirely  alone,  —  a  simple  gauze  curtain  being  let  douTi  in 
9* 


102  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

front ;  —  a  dish  with  money  in  plain  sight,  and  goods  of  various 
colors  and  value,  were  within  one  foot  of  the  fingers  of  a  pas- 
ser-by, yet  a  theft  of  them  would  be  without  precedent.  Some 
shopkeepers  were  at  their  devotions.  In  the  midst  of  the  busy 
crowd  of  strangers,  when  the  hour  of  prayer  arrives,  the  consci- 
entious Mussulman  rises  from  his  cushion,  faces  the  holy  city 
of  Mecca,  and  goes  through  all  the  prescribed  ceremonies  of 
bowing,  touching  his  forehead  to  the  floor,  and  repeating,  with 
a  rapid  articulation,  the  prayers  enjoined  on  all  true  believers. 
Whole  streets  of  shopkeepers  were  smoking  at  once.  I  called 
at  an  opium-smoking  room,  one  evening,  with  a  hope  of  finding 
a  customer  under  the  influence  of  that  drug;  but  no  one  exhib- 
ited a  frenzied  condition  of  exaltation,  and  I  returned  to  my 
lodgings  disappointed. 

While  the  boat  was  being  made  ready,  we  continued  our 
explorations.  One  day  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  madhouse ; 
afterwards  to  the  court  of  the  cadi,  to  the  police,  and  to  one  or 
two  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  mosques. 

Near  our  lodgings  there  was  quite  a  large  yard,  entered  from 
a  narrow  street,  through  a  wide  gateway,  which,  every  morn- 
ing, was  usually  filled  by  Arabs,  boys,  some  Jews,  a  few  Copts, 
—  sometimes  women,  veiled,  though  barefoot,  and  covered  by  a 
single  blue  cotton  frock,  something  after  the  pattern  of  a  farm- 
er's. Policemen,  in  blue  frock-coats,  with  a  row  of  brass  car- 
tridge-cases on  each  breast,  a  long  sword,  pistols  in  a  sash,  a  red 
cap,  and  Christian  pantaloons,  or  Greek  breeches,  big  enough 
to  hold  ten  bushels  of  grain,  were  numerous.  One  morning 
we  called  in  upon  the  magistrate.  To  get  at  him,  we  entered 
the  yard,  and  ascended  a  flight  of  steps  to  the  second  story  of 
a  low  building,  which  had  a  single  room,  long  and  narrow. 
On  the  longest  side,  running  the  entire  length,  was  a  bench, 
under  the  name  of  divan.     About  the  centre  of  it  sat  the  judge, 


COURTS  IN   CAIRO.  103 

cross-legged,  in  his  stocking-feet,  writing  on  his  knee.  He  was 
a  very  handsome  man,  of  about  fifty.  His  inquiry  was,  what 
was  wanted.  The  dragoman  was  instructed  to  inform  him  that 
we  were  Americans,  who  had  called  to  pay  their  respects  to 
him,  and  to  witness  the  legal  processes  of  his  court,  to  compare 
them  with  those  of  our  own  and  other  countries.  He  received 
us  with  much  cordiality,  graciously  had  chairs  brought  in,  — 
a  luxury  hardly  to  be  found  in  Egypt,  except  in  the  residences 
of  Europeans, —  and  then  made  some  inquiries  in  regard  to  our 
health,  &c.  He  had  no  cases  then  before  him ;  but  his  honor 
said  he  had  just  finished  two ;  that  four  witnesses  were  neces- 
sary, and  then,  again,  something  about  two  being  sufficient  for 
a  conviction.  Perhaps  I  did  not  clearly  understand  Hassan's 
interpretation.  Word  may  have  been  passed  along  to  another 
office  that  strangers  were  present,  as,  speedily,  a  large,  fine,  tall 
Turk,  of  between  fifty  and  sixty,  dressed  in  a  blue  frock  and 
pantaloons,  —  the  prefect  of  police,  —  walked  in ;  and  we  were 
given  to  understand  that  he  was  a  distinguished  personage.  A 
long  pipe  was  passed  round  for  a  whiff,  and  coffee  brought  to 
us  in  little  cups  set  in  brass  baskets ;  it  was  black,  thick,  and 
strong.  Our  intentions  with  regard  to  the  route  we  proposed 
were  asked,  and  some  civil  observations  made  about  the  secur- 
ity of  travellers  under  Abbas  Pasha.  Both  the  judge  and  him- 
self were  the  best-looking,  most  intelligent  and  well-bred  officers 
we  were  brought  in  contact  with  in  the  city  of  Cairo.  All  the 
menials  hovered  upon  our  flank,  on  retiring,  for  backshiesh, 
which  was  distributed,  according  to  usage,  at  the  portals  of 
Egyptian  justice. 

We  now  directed  our  steps  to  the  highest  court  in  the  land, 
that  of  the  kadi,  who  holds  his  appointment  from  the  sultan  of 
Turkey,  and  always  comes  from  Constantinople,  We  were 
subjected  to  a  fatiguing  walk,  before  the  great  tribunal  was 


104  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

found.  It  was  in  Cairo ;  but  in  what  street,  or  section  of  the 
city,  it  is  impossible  to  decide.  Passing  through  a  rough  gate- 
way, we  entered  a  square  yard,  —  containing,  perhaps,  a  quar- 
ter of  an  acre,  —  in  which  Arabs,  Turks,  Armenians,  Jews 
and  negroes,  were  sitting  and  walking.  There  were  some  fine 
horses,  elegantly  caparisoned,  held  by  bare-legged  servants; 
and  a  multitude  of  official-looking  personages,  with  bright  brass 
inkstands  in  their  girdles.  Fronting  the  west,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  yard,  Avas  an  old,  rickety,  two-storj'  building,  with 
an  open,  wide  balcony,  protecting  those  near  the  edge  from 
falling,  head-first,  into  the  square.  A  flight  of  steps  led  up  to 
the  first,  where  a  group  of  fine,  well-dressed  Arabs  were  behind 
a  slight  railing,  intensely  occupied  in  \vriting  on  their  knees, 
—  in  all  cases  their  desk.  Both  men  and  women  were  coming 
and  going,  and  holding  earnest  conversation  with  them.  They 
were  attorney s-at-law.  Instead  of  having  possession  of  the 
centre  of  the  court-room,  in  front  of  the  judge,  as  with  us,  they 
were  actually  kept  at  a  respectful  distance,  outside  the  door, 
and  not  permitted  to  enter  at  all. 

While  musing  on  the  scene  around  us,  we  noticed,  coming 
down  stairs  that  led  into  the  interior,  an  aged  Turk,  of  small 
stature,  gray  beard,  somewhat  round-shouldered,  and  stooping. 
He  was  accompanied  by  persons  in  fine  clothes,  with  pistols, 
swords,  and  various  indications  of  consequence.  This  was  the 
kadi,  —  the  chief  justice,  —  who  has  the  reputation  of  dispens- 
ing law  to  suit  the  party  which  is  best  able  to  purchase  a  deci- 
sion satisfactory  to  themselves.  We  stood  aside,  to  give  him 
room  to  pass ;  but,  seeing  infidels,  he  stopped  short,  and 
inquired  who  we  were.  Being  informed  that  we  were  Ameri- 
cans, from  a  country  beyond  the  Ingleese,  he  seemed  to  com- 
prehend, at  least,  that  we  had  come  from  a  great  distance. 
He  expressed  profound  regret  that  he  had  that  moment  been 


MORALS   OF    CAIRO.  105 

summoned  to  the  palace  by  Abbas  Pasha,  but  invited  us 
warmly  to  pass  into  the  court  and  take  coffee.  Respectful 
salaams  were  mutually  exchanged,  and  the  old  man  proceeded 
down  to  the  yard,  where  he  was  assisted  to  mount  a  noble- 
spirited  horse,  and  his  company  sprang  upon  the  saddle  of 
others;  and,  his  horse  being  led  by  the  bit,  by  a  groom,  we  saw 
the  kadi,  with  his  retinue,  pass  out  at  the  gate,  and  have  never 
seen  him  since. 

The  principal  apartment,  or  court-room,  to  v.hich  we  groped 
our  way,  had  a  bench  against  the  wall,  covered  by  a  cushion, 
on  which  his  worship  probably  sat,  in  hearing  and  determining 
causes.  In  adjoining  rooms  there  were  dozens  of  clerks,  writ- 
ing in  large  blank  books,  loosely  bound,  which  had  accumulated 
in  piles  on  the  floor.  All  sat  squat  on  the  floor,  writing  on  their 
knees,  with  a  reed  instead  of  a  quill,  the  ink  being  thick  as 
oil-paint. 

There  were  processions,  funerals,  suddenly-moving  crowds, 
straggling  files  of  women  wailing,  marriage  ceremonies,  and 
jugglers,  with  their  audiences  of  wondering  gazers,  and  the 
like  incidents  of  a  large  city,  perpetually  occurring,  the  chron- 
icling of  which  would  be  an  endless  undertaking,  but  which 
were,  nevertheless,  always  new,  curious,  and  sometimes  very 
surprising.  One  feature  in  Cairo,  Alexandria,  and,  in  fact, 
throughout  Egypt,  puts  to  shame  the  state  of  public  morals  in 
the  cities  of  Europe  and  America.  There  are  no  lewd,  night- 
walking  women,  no  dance-houses,  no  drinking-shops,  in  which 
the  abandoned  of  both  sexes  are  to  be  seen,  nor  the  slightest 
deviations  from  a  most  strict  and  thorough  observance  of  all 
the  proprieties  of  life.  Of  what  there  is  beyond  the  walls  of 
the  harem,  and  of  the  social  relations  of  the  family,  among  the 
rich  and  poor,  the  high  and  low,  in  town  and  countr}',  it  will 
be  no  easy  task  to  ascertain. 


106  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 


DAILY  JOURNAL  FROM  CAIRO   TO  PHIL.E,   THROUGH 
UPPER  EGYPT. 

Nov.  14:th,  1850.  Thursday.  —  By  eight  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing, we  left  our  lodgings  in  Cairo,  bag  and  baggage,  forming,  to 
any  eye  but  an  Egyptian's,  a  ludicrous  and  really  grotesque 
cavalcade.  A  horse  carried  the  trunks,  strapped  and  bound  as 
firmly  as  though  they  were  to  be  transported  in  that  way  round 
the  globe.  The  donkey-drivers  had  their  shirt-bosoms  stuffed 
with  small  affairs,  such  as  a  bottle  of  ink,  a  pair  of  slippers,  and 
their  own  luncheon  of  native  bread,  —  resembling  a  foot  square 
of  sole-leather,  ready  for  the  lap-stone.  In  good  season,  and 
without  cracking  a  tea-cup,  our  property,  with  ourselves,  arrived 
safely  at  Boulac,  —  that  busy,  dusty,  dirty  section  of  the  river- 
bank,  where  all  the  boats  are  moored,  and  where  goods  are 
debarked,  and  Arabs  smoke,  eat,  drink  and  bargain,  at  the 
same  breath.  There  lay  the  boat,  without  a  name,  which 
brought  us  from  Alexandria.  By  the  letter  of  the  contract,  it 
was  to  be  sunk  before  we  went  on  board,  to  kill  the  vermin ; 
but,  as  there  were  rats  under  the  floor  the  first  day,  they  prob- 
ably had  an  inkling  of  the  murderous  intentions  of  the  owner, 
and  prudently  went  on  shore  as  the  water  came  in. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  before  getting  under  way,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  non-arrival  of  a  part  of  the  crew,  who  had  gone 
for  a  batch  of  bread,  —  something  the  Nile  sailors  talk  about 
incessantly,  when  preparing  for  a  voyage.  A  stern  pole  had 
to  be  rigged,  for  holding  the  American  flag ;  and  some  other 
small  fixtures  were  added.  Just  as  the  painter  was  to  be 
hauled  in,  the  old  proprietor  announced  that  we  must  purchase 
a  stick  for  each  man  to  fight  with,  in  case  of  an  attack.  Be- 
lieving he  had  them  to  sell,  perhaps  for  the  twentieth  time,  — 
for  whoever  purchased  would,  of  course,  leave  them  behind,  — 


ISLAND   OF   RHODA.  107 

and  assuring  him.  that  we  should  always  do  all  the  fighting, — 
a  pastime  in  which  travellers  from  the  New  World  gloried,  — 
he  reluctantly  let  go ;  and,  at  the  same  instant,  a  soft  breeze 
swept  us  out  into  the  stream,  and  the  boat  sped  on  her  way,  by 
the  beautiful  island  of  Rhoda,  and  the  large  palaces  dotting  its 
placid  surface,  in  the  possession  of  the  offshoots  of  Mohammed 
Ali.  Whatever  is  worth  possessing  as  a  residence  was  exclu- 
sively monopolized  by  the  old  regenerator,  and  has  since  come 
into  the  possession  of  his  children  or  grandchildren. 

A  few  miles  up,  on  the  right  hand,  was  a  broad,  two-storjT 
building,  with  an  immense  enclosure  of  ground  towards  the 
water,  called  the  Sailor  Hospital.  Nearly  opposite,  on  the 
east  bank,  upon  an  elevated  ridge  of  limestone,  were  forty-five 
windmills,  with  their  arms  flying  round  merrily,  close  to  the 
encroaching  sand  of  the  desert.  On  this  island  was  the  cele- 
brated Nilometer,  —  a  square  well,  in  which  was  a  graduated 
pillar,  for  giving  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  river.  Nothing  of 
either  can  now  be  identified ;  yet  tourists  tax  their  imagina- 
tions exceedingly,  when  near  where  it  may  have  been,  because 
it  is  an  epoch  to  have  seen  a  contrivance  that  is  referred  to  a 
Pharaonic  age;  when,  in  reality,  the  last  one  recorded  to  have 
been  consulted  by  the  people  was  placed  there  by  Caliph 
Mamoon,  in  A.  D.  833. 

The  old  pasha  had  a  fine  garden  on  the  island  of  Rhoda ; 
and,  when  I  strolled  over  it,  the  oranges,  raised  on  a  tumulus, 
were  of  the  most  delicious  flavor,  and  abundant.  The  attend- 
ants are  ready  to  fill  a  gentleman's  pockets,  notwithstanding 
the  owner's  orders  never  to  pluck  one,  provided  they  can  raise 
the  backshiesh.  It  was  on  the  side  of  this  lonely  island  that 
one  tradition  says  the  infant  Moses  was  picked  up,  as  he  came 
floating  unconsciously  along,  in  a  frail  ark  of  bulrushes,  when 
discovered  by  the  princess  Thermuthis,  the  daughter  of  the 


108  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

king.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to  another  current 
tradition,  which  fixes  upon  Boulac  as  the  place  where  the  great 
Jewish  lawgiver  was  saved.  When  the  Greeks  had  a  control- 
ling power  in  Egypt,  a  bridge  of  boats  connected  Ehoda  with 
where  Fostat  stood.  The  only  mode  of  going  there  nov/  is  to 
hire  a  small  boat  to  ferry  across.  The  one  I  went  in  was  man- 
aged by  a  man  and  boy.  Although  without  a  cabin,  or  an 
awning  overhead,  his  one  wife  and  child  lived  there.  She 
amused  herself  by  hunting  vermin  on  the  little  brat's  body,  and 
fhrowing  them  into  the  Nile,  while  the  o^vne^  was  setting  us 
howadjis  through  the  current. 

At  four  o'clock  this  morning,  the  call  to  prayers  from  the 
minarets  in  Cairo  was  simultaneous,  and  resounded  in  the  dis- 
tance like  the  dying  tone  of  a  hundred  bells.  In  passing  Old 
Cairo,  sailing  up  stream,  we  were  curious  to  watch  if  the 
muezzin  was  punctual  at  twelve  o'clock,  as  he  should  be, 
according  to  the  directions  of  the  prophet ;  but  no  one  appeared. 
This  was  in  accordance  with  previous  observation,  that,  in 
cities,  the  faithful  have  no  certain  hour  for  devotions,  after  the 
morning  prayers.  I  have  often  seen  a  pious  Moslem  at  his 
devotions  when  most  convenient,  without  reference  to  a  specific 
period. 

The  street  of  mud  hovels  we  passed  through,  just  south  of 
Boulac,  was  so  pregnant  with  human  misery  and  degradation, 
that  the  recollection  of  what  I  saw  there  has  haunted  me  ever 
since.  The  walls  were  of  mud,  covered  with  brush,  millet- 
stalks  and  straw.  The  doors  were  not  over  four  feet  high ; 
and  withm,  there  were,  in  some  of  them,  three  little  apart- 
ments, dark  and  cheerless.  Goats,  fowls,  and  a  squadron  of 
the  most  filthy,  unlovable  children  ever  seen,  were  crawling  in 
and  out,  without  interruption. 

Passed  the  carcass  of  some  large  animal,  that  was  aground 


ANCIENT    BIEMPHIS.  109 

in  shallow  water,  tugging  away  at  which  was  a  poor,  starved, 
mangy  dog,  and  two  bold,  ravenous  vultures,  contending  for 
the  prize.  Not  far  off  were  nine  en^'ious  crows,  as  spectators. 
Passed  a  forest  of  date-trees,  standing  on  a  fertile  spot  between 
the  river  and  Sakhara.  At  this  latter  place  there  are  pyra- 
mids ;  some  in  good  condition  for  resisting  the  assaults  of  time 
six  thousand  years  to  come,  while  others  have  actually  decom- 
posed, and  crumbled  down  into  the  form  of  an  ash-heap. 
Passed  the  site  of  ancient  Memphis.  A  particular  visitation 
will  enable  me  to  detail  the  present  condition  of  that  once  all- 
glorious  city,  where  there  is  now  but  one  single,  solitary  hut, 
under  the  shade  of  a  palm-tree,  in  front  of  which  is  the  colossal 
statue  of  Rameses  II.,  forty -two  feet  in  length,  lying  partly  on 
its  face.  Here  and  there  we  saw  a  block  of  red  polished  gran- 
ite, a  piece  of  marble,  and  other  remains  of  temples  and  palaces, 
whose  locality  cannot  be  designated,  but  which  were  the  admi- 
ration of  generations  of  men  who  supposed,  perhaps,  that  they 
were  destined  to  endure  while  the  earth  lasted.  Such  is  the 
mutability  of  the  works  of  man.  On  the  right  hand,  the  land 
is  evidently  making  pretty  fast,  which  crowds  the  river  over,  to 
gxdly  out  the  opposite  bank.  We  saw  lots  of  Arab  girls  bath- 
ing, while  some  were  walking  on  the  bank,  as  their  ancestors 
were  accustomed  to  do,  and,  no  doubt,  in  the  same  place;  — 
for  Memphis,  the  great  city,  must  have  stretched  from  the 
Libyan  desert  quite  down  to  the  water.  Green  fields  of  Indian 
com  were  common.  Directly  opposite,  on  the  left  or  eastern 
shore,  we  could  see  a  multitude  of  caves  and  doorways,  of 
various  shapes,  leading  into  the  limestone  rocks.  Roasted  ears 
of  Indian  corn  are  offered,  on  nearing  the  bank.  In  Cairo,  a 
para  would  buy  five  ears ;  and  five  paras  are  only  equal  to  one 
cent.  Saw  from  the  deck  a  large  cavalcade  of  asses,  camels, 
sheep  and  men;  also  a  group  of  large,  dark-colored  tents,  looking 
10 


110  A    PILGllIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

as  if  made  by  stretching  a  sheet  upon  the  tops  of  stakes.  The 
conclusion  was  that  a  fair  was  being  held,  for  people  were  run- 
ning all  in  one  direction.  Saw  an  enonnous  pile  of  beans  on 
the  ground,  —  a  modern  pyramid.  They  are  an  important 
crop  in  Egypt. 

Nov.  Ibtk.  Friday.  —  It  was  agreed  that  I  should  look  at 
the  compass  occasionally,  through  the  night,  to  ascertain 
whether  the  reis  would  attempt  to  prolong  the  trip  unnecessa- 
rily, by  drifting  back  when  he  supposed  his  passengers  asleep ; 
—  an  old  trick,  of  which  Nile  contractors  are  frequently  guilty. 
Once  only  I  examined  the  dial.  There  was  a  tolerable  breeze, 
that  lasted  till  daylight,  when  it  died  away ;  and  at  two  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  the  crew  were  pulling  very  slowly  at  the  tow-line. 
Hassan  was  quite  sick  in  the  forenoon,  but  a  little  timely  med- 
ical attention  restored  him.  On  the  left,  as  we  ascended,  there 
was  a  continuous  range  of  hills,  broken  down  at  intervals,  as 
though  blown  away ;  while  the  prominences,  flat  on  the  top, 
gave  them  a  castellated  appearance,  in  the  distance.  The  sand 
came  down  nearly  to  the  running  water  on  our  course,  to-day, 
on  that  side.  A  second  row  of  terraced  hills,  still  further  off, 
in  the  distant  back-ground,  in  the  Arabian  desert,  had  a  grand 
effect ;  it  was  like  the  rich  shading  of  a  picture.  On  the  right, 
the  strip  of  arable  land  was  estimated  to  be  between  eight  and 
ten  miles  wide,  before  reaching  the  sand-drifts. 

Passed  the  last  pyramid,  standing  off  in  a  field.  We  have 
successively  seen  those  of  Geezeh,  Abooseer,  Sakkara  and 
Dashoor.  This  last  is  quite  different  from  all  others,  being  in 
offsets,  or  terraces,  of  whitish  stone,  erected  upon  a  rock,  appar- 
ently, considerably  above  the  common  land-level.  Passed  a 
large  drove  of  camels,  and  saw  prodigious  numbers  browsing 
in  a  coarse  grass-field.  This  was  the  first  opportunity  had  for 
seeing  those  ugly-formed  monsters  at  their  ease,  without  mas- 


INCIDENTS    OF   TIIK    VOYAGE.  Ill 

ters.  A  shepherd  came  to  the  river,  followed,  from  a  distant 
feeding-ground,  by  a  very  large  flock  of  sheep,  to  be  washed. 
They  nestled  close  to  his  heels,  and  it  was  delightful  to  notice 
their  confidence  in  him.  Wherever  he  turned,  they  moved 
also,  and  strove  for  the  nearest  place  to  his  person.  It  was  a 
patriarchal  exhibition  of  instinctive  reliance  on  man,  never  wit- 
nessed in  our  own  country.  Went  quite  near  a  little  fleet  of 
small  boats,  moored,  in  which  the  all  but  naked  occupants  — 
grave  Arabs,  in  huge  turbans — were  spinning  on  hand-distaffs, 
mending  nets  and  braiding  rope.  I  have  repeatedly  seen  men 
spinning  in  that  manner,  at  Alexandria  and  Cairo,  and  in  vil- 
lages ;  but  have  no  recollection  of  having  seen  a  woman  pursu- 
ing that  appropriate  employment. 

Very  many  Arab  girls  came  down  to  the  river,  towards  even- 
ing,— as  they  do  also  in  the  morning, — bearing  heavy  earthen 
jars  on  their  heads,  for  water.  It  must  be  the  general  pursuit  of 
the  fellah  females,  from  the  universality  of  the  practice.  They 
may  be  seen  pursuing  their  way,  with  a  full  jar,  more  than  a 
mile  off,  going  to  their  homes.  The  vessel  weighs  quite  as 
much  as  the  contents.  They  rarely  spill  a  drop,  never  stumble, 
yet  barely  touch  the  jar,  from  time  to  time,  with  one  hand. 
Most  of  the  females  in  the  towns  evidently  idle  away  their 
lives,  by  lying  about  in  the  dust,  on  the  shady  sides  of  their 
huts,  with  the  children  and  hens.  Mr.  Warren  landed,  and 
followed  the  bank,  with  a  gun,  for  game,  but  had  better  success 
in  buying  fish.  Twenty-one,  freshly  caught,  with  sparkling 
scales,  cost  but  one  cent  and  a  half  of  our  currency.  Came  up 
where  naked  boys  were  fishing,  and  about  as  many  females 
looking  on,  unconcerned,  beyond  the  success  of  the  bronzed 
bipeds  before  us.  A  large  cargo  of  peas  passed,  in  bulk,  —  the 
uncovered  mass  being  inhabited  by  a  bevy  of  women,  bare- 
footed, wearing  a  single  blue  garment,  with  veiled  faces.    They 


112  A    PILGRIM AGK   TO    EGYPT. 

must  be  particularly  partial  to  aquatic  excursions,  such  num- 
bers of  them  are  all  the  while  traversing  one  way  or  the  other. 
No  fruit-trees  seen  thus  far,  with  the  exception  of  tall  dates. 
These  are  ordinarily  described  as  graceful,  with  their  plumed 
tops  waving  in  the  zephyrs ;  to  me  they  appear  like  gigantic 
cabbage-stumps,  just  budding.  The  date-palm  is  precisely 
fitted  to  the  climates  where  it  thrives  ;  but  it  must  be  a  poetical 
vagary  to  represent  it  as  beautiful,  compared  with  the  finely- 
proportioned  trunks  and  velvet  foliage  of  a  hundred  varieties  of 
fruit  and  forest  trees  in  Europe  and  America.  At  Alexandria 
they  have  excellent  grapes,  and  luscious  oranges  and  bananas ; 
but  they  are  brought  from  near  Rosetta.  In  the  bazaars  of 
Cairo,  it  was  common  to  see  apples,  pears  and  pomegranates ; 
but  we  could  not  ascertain  very  clearly  where  they  grew.  They 
were  too  dear  to  be  eaten  by  the  common  people,  who  have 
nothing  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary  for  sustaining  life, 
and,  therefore,  rarely  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  foreign  fruit. 
Our  stock  of  fruit  —  such  as  oranges,  pomegranates  and  melons 
—  was  found  to  be  extremely  grateful  in  topping  oflf  a  Nile 
dinner,  cooked  as  it  was  for  us. 

Nov.  \(hth.  Saturday.  —  No  wind,  and,  therefore,  reluctantly 
compelled  to  pin  fast  to  the  bank,  all  last  night.  It  was  a 
lovely  evening,  so  balmy  was  the  air;  and  therefore  very  much 
enjoyed,  anxious  as  we  were  to  be  progressing.  Such  magnif- 
icent light  I  had  never  seen  before.  The  stars,  those  gems  of 
the  sky,  hung  low  in  the  heavens,  sparkling  with  a  transcend- 
ant  brilliancy  nowhere  else  discoverable  on  the  globe.  This 
Nilotic  valley  is  the  paradise  of  wild  geese,  flying  and  huddling 
together  at  pleasure,  without  the  fear  of  turbans,  although  they 
certainly  are  shy  of  hats  and  caps.  They  discriminate  between 
the  races.  While  the  latter  molest  and  destroy  them,  the  former 
have  not  the  means,  being  rarely  in  possession  of  fire-arms,  if 


SIKQULAR    NATURAL   PYRAMIDS.  113 

they  have  a  bird-slaughtering  disposition.  No  one  can  have 
a  gun  in  Upper  Egypt,  without  a  license ;  which  no  farmer 
could  procure,  if  he  were  ambitious  in  that  line,  for  the  want 
of  money.  Birds  of  all  plumage,  among  which  are  both  turtle 
and  common  doves,  are  perpetually  frolicking  in  undisturbed 
freedom.  In  the  stillness  of  the  night  we  often  heard  the  sound 
of  falling  masses  of  mud  from  the  perpendicular  banks.  The 
alluvial,  unctuous  mud,  under  a  hot  sun,  cracks  into  very  curi- 
ous geometrical  figures,  which  sway  off  from  the  perpendicular, 
next  the  water,  and  by  and  by  fall  over.  When  walking  on  the 
monstrous  beds  cracked  into  that  form,  it  brought  to  mind  the 
pavement  of  the  Giant's  Causeway,  in  Ireland.  If  intense  heat 
were  applied  while  in  the  columnar  condition  which  the  mud, 
in  drying,  invariably  takes,  precisely  the  same  result  would  be 
produced  that  Nature  effected  when  she  manufactured  that 
singular  arrangement  of  rocky  pillars  on  the  Emerald  Isle. 

We  frequently  discovered,  to-day,  on  the  desert  of  Arabia, 
peculiar  forms  of  limestone,  which,  in  the  distance,  perfectly 
resembled  the  pyramids.  They  are  of  older  date.  Thousands 
of  years  must  have  been  required  for  those  mountains  to  have 
decomposed  on  their  outside,  and  to  have  been  fashioned  as 
they  are  by  the  elements.  The  thought  that  the  architects  of 
the  pjTamids  took  a  hint  from  these  extraordinary  geological 
monuments  of  the  physical  changes  wrought  on  the  earth's  sur- 
face passed  through  the  mind.  They  resist  the  moving  sands, 
when  tlie  winds  urge  them  towards  the  river.  Some  of  the 
accumulations  at  the  base  of  these  natural  pyramids  are  enor- 
mously large,  rising  into  prominences,  and  scooped  out  into 
valleys,  which  may  be  changed  by  a  shift  of  wind  to  other 
forms,  no  less  striking. 

This  morning,  a  new  variety  of  crow  was  flying  about  the 
cultivated  fields,  having  black  wings,  a  black  head,  a  leaden- 
10* 


114  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYl'T. 

colored  bill,  wide  at  the  root,  and  rather  disproportioned  to  the 
size  of  the  bird.  All  the  remaining  feathers  were  fawn-colored ; 
but  their  voice,  or  croak,  was  identical  with  the  black  crow  of 
New  England.  They  were  in  no  fear  whatever  of  Arabs,  — 
lighting  down  close  to  them,  as  they  were  tugging  at  the  boat. 
Where  the  sand  or  green  crops  extend  quite  to  the  v;ater,  there 
the  crows  abound. 

By  three  hours  after  sundown,  the  nights  were  quite  chilly; 
but  through  the  day  there  was  a  little  more  than  the  summer 
heat  of  Naples,  or  of  America  in  the  latitude  of  Virginia. 
Towards  morning  it  was,  occasionally,  decidedly  cold.  The 
Arabs  lie  down  in  their  coarse  hooded  bournouses — which  are 
analogous  to  cloaks  —  on  the  deck,  never  undressing;  and 
sleep  refreshingly,  and,  probably,  warmly,  as  they  make  no 
complaint.  Current  of  the  river  very  swift  and  strong,  where 
we  were  sailing.  Rats  were  belaboring  the  partitions  again ; 
the  sound,  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  being  something  like 
boring  a  hard  board  with  an  auger.  Our  stipulation  to  have 
the  boat  sunk  was  of  no  avail,  since,  if  the  vermin  were  forced 
out,  others  have  come  in  their  place,  by  being  alongside  of  other 
craft.  Ali  was  asked  if  he  saw  any  rats  drowned  when  the 
submersion  took  place.  "  O,  yes,"  he  answered,  in  an  animated 
voice,  "  me  see  two,  nine,  twenty."  Such  depredations  were 
made  upon  the  store  of  rice,  that  it  was  beginning  to  be  alarm- 
ing. It  is  a  serious  matter  to  be  out  of  eatables,  where  they 
cannot  be  replaced. 

Arrived  at  Benisooef,  where  a  governor  resides.  A  road 
leads  off  to  the  Fyoom,  a  fertile  locality  in  the  Libyan  Desert. 
A  brick  pyramid,  in  ruins,  stands  where  a  glimpse  may  be  had 
of  it.  Benisooef  is  a  large  town,  and  has  the  reputation  of 
being  an  impudent  one  to  Christian  travellers ;  but  we  were 
treated  civilly.     It  is  a  dirty,  dusty  spot,  built  on  heaps  of  rub- 


BENISOOEF.  115 

bish.  Once  it  supplied  all  Egypt  with  linen ;  now  it  could  not 
furnish  enough  for  a  whole  shirt.  At  a  distance,  it  has  a  grand 
appearance ;  but  the  inviting  aspect  melts  into  air,  on  approach- 
ing it.  About  sundown  our  boat  came  up  gallantly  towards  the 
town ;  and,  from  the  stir  of  men  and  women  running  near  the 
river,  we  judged  some  sensation  was  raised.  However,  the 
movement  proved  transitory,  when  they  discovered  we  were 
howadjis.  A  band  of  musicians  was  performing,  at  a  few  rods' 
distance  from  the  landing,  a  barbarous  air,  —  or  no  air  at  all. 
Their  instruments  v/ere  neither  in  tune  with  each  other,  nor 
did  they  play  in  harmony.  It  was  a  shocking  noise  for  any 
cars  save  their  own.  A  broader  farce  could  not  have  been 
represented  on  a  stage. 

Nov.  11th,  Swiday.  —  Hassan  had  a  relapse,  which  rendered 
an  emetic  indispensable,  which  he  swallowed,  from  time  to 
time,  saying  "  Tank  you  "  at  the  close  of  each  draught  of  the 
nauseous  preparation.  Arabs  are  fond  of  medicine ;  the  flavor 
is  not  of  the  least  importance ;  and,  what  is  still  more  extraor- 
dinary, when  in  fine  health  they  are  quite  gratified  to  take 
doses,  let  the  operation  be  what  it  may.  It  is  a  pleasure  to 
prescribe  for  such  patients. 

At  an  early  hour  I  walked  to  an  immense  mound  at  one  side 
of  the  town,  —  the  accumulation  of  centuries  upon  centuries, 
marking  the  site  of  more  ancient  dwellings, —  from  whence 
there  was  a  satisfactory  view  of  Benisooef,  which  had  been 
passed.  Upon  the  acknowledged  principle  that  distance  lends 
enchantment  to  the  view,  the  mud  residences,  and  even  the 
attempt  at  a  fine  house,  dubbed  a  palace,  in  which  the  governor, 
with  his  numerous  household,  were  lodged,  appeared  beau- 
tifully when  six  miles  from  them.  Neither  conveniences  nor 
comforts,  in  our  sense,  were  to  be  had  in  the  pashalic.  None 
of  the  streets  exceeded  five  feet  in  width,  while  many  were 


116  S    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

narrowed  down  to  three.  Reeds  were  laid  overhead,  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  to  exclude  the  sun  and  intense  light  of  mid- 
day. Scores  of  females,  veiled  with  coarse  cotton  stuff,  sus- 
pended by  a  heavy  brass  chain  of  ferrules  from  a  strap  across 
the  head,  were  squatting  by  the  sides  of  piles  of  soft  bread, 
which  they  had  for  sale.  Others  were  cooking,  in  earthen  pots, 
over  a  handful  of  charcoal ;  while  many  more  had  baskets  of 
fine  smoking-tobacco.  Still  further  on,  in  some  of  the  narrow, 
crooked  lanes,  were  little  niches  in  the  walls,  where  grave, 
cross-legged  merchants  had  some  cheap  calico,  a  few  darning- 
needles,  pieces  of  braid,  and  thread.  Meats,  fruits  and  tobacco, 
were  sold  by  weight,  as  they  should  be ;  but,  instead  of  weights, 
representing  ounces,  pounds,  or  okes,  they  were  simple  stones, 
of  different  sizes,  which  were  recognized  by  the  citizens  as 
lawful. 

Back  of  the  town,  on  a  low  plain,  a  company  of  cavalry  was 
exercising  and  firing,  quite  spiritedly.  A  modern  edifice,  of 
small  dimensions,  having  glass  windows,  near  the  river,  was 
one  of  Mohammed  All's  resting-places.  Shadoofs  were  very 
numerous  on  each  side.  It  is  an  exceedingly  laborious  exer- 
cise, and  monotonous  employment,  to  raise  the  water  to  succes- 
sive levels,  by  their  rude  apparatus.  Half  of  all  that  is  brought 
up  in  the  bucket  spills  out  before  it  is  high  enough  to  be  poured 
into  the  mud  basin,  where  a  second  shadoof  dips  it  up  for 
another  step  towards  the  top  of  the  ground.  This  constitutes 
the  essential  business  of  the  fellah,  or  farmer.  For  three  thou- 
sand years  the  same  system  has  unquestionably  been  pursued, 
and  with  precisely  the  same  kind  of  pole,  balanced  by  a  ball  of 
mud  at  one  end.  Such  rude  and  primitive  modes  of  performing 
labor,  without  improvement  or  progress  of  any  kind,  constantly 
recurring,  presented  a  strong  contrast  to  the  state  of  things  in 


TUL      SHADOOF.     PagellC. 


BENISOOEF.  119 

the  countries  we  had  left,  where  mind  is  impressing  the  ener- 
gies of  nature  to  relieve  man  of  these  onerous  burdens. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  house  with  glass  windows,  we 
observed  two  other  buildings,  superior  to  the  common  struc- 
tures, whitewashed.  The  upper-story  windows  were  protected 
by  fine  gratings,  —  indicating  that  the  persons  who  occupied 
them  had  harems,  the  appendages  of  a  man  of  distinction. 
Further  on,  a  mud-walled  enclosure  was  represented  to  contain 
an  arsenal.  In  a  doorway  was  a  man  weaving  a  web  of  silk, 
on  a  tiny  loom,  scarcely  a  foot  wide,  —  the  roughest,  rudest 
combination  of  sticks  and  strings  ever  used  for  such  a  purpose. 
The  piece  was  fine,  even-threaded,  and  altogether  a  good 
article. 

My  short-hand  notes  furnish  several  other  particulars  of 
Benisooef.  A  second  visit  to  the  big  mound  gave  a  chance  of 
analyzing  its  character.  It  seemed  to  be  wholly  of  broken  pot- 
tery, ashes,  brick,  straw,  blocks  of  stone,  bones,  and  manure. 
Were  it  leached,  it  would  yield  cargoes  of  saltpetre.  No 
distant  towns  or  villages,  or  even  isolated  hamlets,  could  be 


discerned  in  the  distance,  in  any  direction.     We  saw  yester- 
day some  immensely  large  pelicans,  and  again  to-day.     They 


120  A   PILGKIMAGE  TO   EGYPT. 

are  altogether  superior,  in  size,  to  any  I  have  seen  in  Paris,  or 
at  the  Zoological  Garden  in  London.  In  1844,  passing  through 
Lake  Pepin,  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  a  flock  of  these  biil- 
pouched  birds  was  observed,  which  were  delicately  white,  with 
the  same  general  anatomical  arrangement  for  carrying  food, 
but  Lilliputians  compared  with  the  gigantic  pelicans  of  Upper 
Egypt.     A  battalion  of  monstrous  vultures  was  descried  on  a 


shoal,  feasting  on  the  carcass  of  an  ass,  with  which  a  half- 
starved  dog,  or  jackal,  —  it  was  not  easy  to  decide  which, — 
was  either  an  invited  guest,  or  a  Jeremy  Diddler  in  pursuit  of  a 
dinner.  I  watched  their  operations  a  long  while.  When  the 
brute  had  his  stomach  full,  he  leisurely  walked  away,  through 
files  of  strong  vultures,  who  were  probably  gratified  to  have 
him  take  leave.  When  he  had  got  some  half  a  dozen  rods  off', 
every  one  of  their  eyes  being  upon  him,  they  suddenly  pounced 
upon  the  decaying  mass,  with  voracious  appetites.     The  last 


ENCROACHMENT  OF  DESERT  SANDS.  121 

we  saw  of  them,  ihey  were  lighting  on  the  parts  above  water, 
which  would  roll  over  and  tip  them  in,  and  fighting  for  mor- 
sels. "When  they  seized  hold  with  their  strong  beaks,  the  grip 
was  like  that  of  a  vice ;  and,  bracing  their  feet,  the  strength 
they  exerted,  in  tearing  bones  and  ligaments,  was  amazing. 

All  the  crew  marched  aft,  in  a  body,  and  demanded  back- 
shiesh,  according  to  custom,  on  coming  thus  far  up  the  river. 
We  presented  them  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents,  and  they 
retired.  Hassan  continuing  indisposed,  it  devolved  on  me  to 
assist  in  cooking  the  dinner,  rather  than  to  go  without.  When 
the  task  was  completed,  I  thought  it  would  not  have  been 
worse  to  have  gone  hung^. 

The  sun  went  down  in  a  sea  of  glory.  Here  we  came  to  a 
dreary  waste  of  sandy  desert,  —  a  true  type  of  Arabia  Deserta. 
The  sand  came  close  down  to  the  water,  leaving  not  an  inch 
of  fertile  land.  The  encroachment  of  the  desert  here  is  an 
illustration  of  the  manner  it  has  been  creeping  on  upon  the  soil 
through  past  ages.  There  are  gaps  where,  instead  of  sand,  on 
the  eastern  bank,  there  are  walls  of  limestone,  laid  in  courses, 
like  Cyclopaean  masonry,  raised  from  forty  to  two  hundred  feet, 
almost  perfectly  perpendicular.  At  the  top  the  sand  has  accu- 
mulated, by  being  driven  up  on  the  back  side,  giving  a  gentle 
inclined  plain  down  to  the  common  hard  gravel  level  towards 
the  desert.  Without  wind,  the  progress  up  the  muddy,  angry 
Nile  is  excessively  fatiguing.  It  is  a  solemn  kind  of  feeling,  at 
nine  o'clock  at  night,  without  a  breath  of  air,  to  be  rowing  and 
poling  up  this  murky,  mysterious  river.  The  moon  was  shin- 
ing magnificently;  and  there  stood,  a  little  way  ofT,  a  milk-white 
ibis,  gazing  at  us,  as  though  wondering  who  we  could  be,  dis- 
turbing the  quiet  of  its  home,  —  for  our  wild  Arabs  began  to 
chant  one  of  their  monotonous  howls,  of  "  0-ah,  Mohammed." 

Nov.  IStk.  Monday.  —  Winds  are  no  more  to  be  relied 
11 


122  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

upon  here  than  a  politician's  promises.  Although  the  indica- 
tions were  flattering  for  a  good  run  through  the  past  night,  we 
were  obliged  to  haul  up  to  the  bank  early  in  the  evening,  in  a 
pleasant,  though  somewhat  lonely  spot.  A  grass  fire  blazing  up 
occasionally,  near  where  we  lay,  induced  us  to  push  the  plank 
ashore,  and  walk  to  where  the  smoke  and  flashes  were  seen. 
A  man  and  woman  sat  on  the  ground,  by  the  side  of  a  hencoop, 
roasting  millet-heads  in  the  hot  ashes,  made  from  halfar  grass, 
the  only  fuel  to  be  had.  With  genuine  Arabic  hospitality,  of 
which  we  had  read,  but  had  never  been  the  recipients,  they 
invited  us  to  lay  hold  and  eat.  Two  children,  as  nearly  naked 
as  they  could  be  and  yet  be  covered,  were  asleep,  with  their  grimy 
caputs  within  a  foot  of  the  embers,  and  near  enough  to  have 
singed  their  hair,  if  they  had  had  any.  Every  child  and  man 
has  the  head  shaven  as  bare  as  the  palm  of  the  hand.  There 
is  no  deviation  from  the  universal  practice,  —  poor  or  rich,  from 
infancy  to  extreme  old  age.  Ever)'-  current  of  smoke  was 
driven  into  their  dirty  faces ;  but  they  slept  on,  regardless  of  all 
annoyances ;  for  nature  is  imperative,  and  refuses  to  relinquish 
her  claim  upon  young  animals,  while  she  is  fashioning  and 
finishing  their  bodies.  It  is  only  when  they  are  in  profound 
slumber  that  she  can  carry  on  her  delicate  internal  operations. 
They  must  be  still  while  the  tubes  are  elongated  and  the  valves 
are  fitted ;  and,  by  throwing  them  into  a  deep  sleep,  she  is  not 
interrupted  in  her  mechanical  manipulations. 

Vast  fields  of  millet,  resembling  Indian-corn  in  stalks  and 
leaves,  extend  up  and  down,  and  far  back  from  the  river.  A 
tuft  of  seeds  —  the  mass  taking  a  pine-apple  shape  —  grows 
from  the  extreme  point ;  and,  as  it  approximates  a  full  develop- 
ment, bends  over  the  stalk  droopingly,  and  thus  ripens.  This 
has  been  an  extremely  hot  day,  —  a  New  England  dog-day,  — 
and,  withal,  washing-day.     An  instinctive   desire  to  be  in  a 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  JOCRNEY.  123 

better  condition  than  the  demi-nude  people  about  us,  is  the 
apology  for  engaging  in  a  series  of  domestic  pursuits,  which 
have  been  learned  through  a  stern,  uncompromising  necessity. 
There  was  something  supposed  to  require  ironing;  but  the 
wrinkles  were  excessively  obstinate,  and  refused  to  be  smoothed, 
under  the  hardest  pressure.  The  strangest  thing  of  all,  how- 
ever, —  a  mystery  not  yet  cleared  up,  —  the  washed  garments 
looked  worse,  after  all  that  had  been  done  to  them,  than  they 
did  before  being  operated  upon.  Instead  of  obliterating  wadees 
of  soiled  spots,  Nile  mud  had  become  •  alarmingly  conspicuous 
where  it  was  the  least  welcome.  We  solaced  ourselves  by  the 
comforting  conclusion  that  it  was  only  an  optical  deception,  and 
thus  ended  the  first  attempt  at  the  labors  of  the  laundr}% 

Date-trees  were  numerous,  even  to  the  appearance  of  a  for- 
est, as  we  approached  Minieh,  the  second  great  town  in  Upper 
Egypt.  A  French  guide-book  says  that  various  fruit-trees 
abound  all  the  way  from  Benisooef,  which  is  untrue.  No  other 
kind  of  tree  but  the  tall  date-palm  has  been  recognized,  with 
the  exception  of  some  acacias,  and  perhaps  a  few  other  non- 
fruit  bearers,  of  no  particular  interest  on  account  of  their  qual- 
ities or  appearance. 

Nov.  19th.  Tuesday.  —  As  usual,  the  wind  died  away 
before  sundown,  leaving  the  boat  to  be  hauled,  against  the  cur- 
rent, to  the  first  place  the  reis  considered  a  safe  one,  —  which 
means  where  other  boats  have  made  fast.  These  fluviatic 
Arabs  are  such  arrant  cowards,  they  try  to  conceal  their  native 
pusillanimity  by  pretending  that  it  is  dangerous  to  make  a  halt 
for  the  night  at  any  other  than  certain  stereotyped  localities 
they  have  cautiously  selected.  In  this  instance,  we  came  up 
broadside  to  the  village  of  Galsan,  —  pronounced,  by  Hassan, 
Goncelo,  —  which  is  on  the  west  bank,  not  ten  miles  from 
Minieh.     A  little  back  from  the  river,  there  is  an  amazing 


124  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

accumulation  of  stuff  that  constitutes  a  mound,  on  and  about 
which  are  the  usual  mud  hovels.  Date-trees  were  numerous, 
Avith  a  scattering  of  gum-trees,  considerably  resembling  our 
garden  damson-plum,  but  giving  no  fruit.  One  quite  large  boat 
was  on  the  stocks,  well  made,  considering  the  joinery  powers 
and  lack  of  mechanical  ingenuity  of  those  at  work  upon  it. 

A  large  tent,  for  shading  coffee-drinkers  or  loungers,  was  within 
U  rod  or  two  of  us.  Several  young  women  within  it  were  sing- 
ing a  song,  that  must  have  delighted  Arabic  ears  more  than  ours. 
At  the  repetition  of  certain  words,  an  outburst  of  delight  was 
sure  to  follow.  A  mat  was  spread  in  front,  on  the  bare  ground, 
and  an  invitation  extended  for  us  to  sit  upon  it.  This  we 
declined,  for  a  sufficient  reason.  A  stroll  along  the  bank 
brought  to  view  a  boat  with  an  English  flag.  It  was  from 
Alexandria,  with  an  English  gentleman  and  his  lady.  Being 
a  heavy,  old,  water-soaked  concern,  it  dragged  slowly,  even 
under  the  exertions  of  a  capital  breeze,  of  which  he  complained 
bitterly.  He  was  without  a  dragoman,  with  a  crew  of  ten 
men. 

On  leaving  the  pinning-ground,  this  morning,  three  vener- 
able-looking Arabs  presented  themselves,  —  two  with  staffs, 
and  the  third  bearing  a  long  pole  tipped  with  an  ugly  iron 
spear,  —  and  demanded  a  port  charge  for  giving  us  safety 
through  the  night,  within  their  jurisdiction.  They  represented 
themselves  to  be  the  true  guardians  of  the  public.  The 
bill  was  seven  cents,  American  currency,  which  was  readily 
paid.  For  more  than  two  miles,  on  leaving  this  resting-place, 
the  bank  of  the  river,  on  the  right  hand,  alternated  between 
twelve  and  fifteen  feet  in  height  above  the  water,  in  which 
there  were  bits  of  brick,  broken  pottery,  and  various  other 
relics  of  civilization,  interspersed  throughout  the  exposed  sur- 
face.     Had  the  water  been  lower,  unquestionably  the  same 


COPTISH    BEGGAR-MONKS.  125 

articles  would  have  been  seen  still  deeper  down  in  the  alluvium. 
It  presupposes  the  habitation  of  a  multitude  of  human  beings, 
to  have  produced  such  a  vast  collection  of  fragments ;  but, 
could  the  level  of  the  city  or  town  have  been  fifteen  feet  lower 
than  at  present  ?  If  it  were  so,  then  the  bed  of  the  Nile  must 
have  been  lower,  also.  The  whole  land  level  is  higher  than  it 
was,  within  the  grasp  of  history ;  and  if  that  fact  is  admitted, 
then  the  bed  of  the  river  has  been  raised  in  a  corresponding 
ratio,  and  therefore  maintains  the  same  relation  to  the  surface 
that  it  did  some  thousands  of  years  ago.  Unless  the  current 
transported  these  brick,  stone  and  bits  of  earthen  vessels,  to 
their  present  position,  from  some  locality  of  an  ancient  town, 
it  is  morally  certaift  the  region  round  about  has  been  gradually 
rising  from  an  incalculably  remote  epoch.  Near  or  remote,  it 
is  equally  certain  that  these  silent  witnesses  in  the  bank  tes- 
tify to  two  important  circumstances  in  relation  to  Egypt : 
namely,  that  human  beings  were  here  to  make  them ;  and, 
further,  that  the  river  has  cut  away  a  vast  body  of  the  same 
artificial  kind  of  land,  —  another  and  irresistible  evidence  of 
the  perpetual  activity  and  changing  character  of  the  Nile,  from 
one  side  to  the  other. 

Crowds  of  men,  women  and  children,  were  passing  up  stream 
on  foot,  —  some  on  donkeys  and  others  on  camels,  —  probably 
to  a  fair.  When  opposite  Gebel  Tier,  a  long  range  of  lime- 
stone rocks,  close  to  the  left  bank,  —  celebrated  as  being,  tra- 
ditionally, the  place  where  the  birds  formerly  held  an  annual 
congress,  —  t^'o  stout  Coptish  monks,  from  an  old  monastery 
behind  the  ledge,  swam  out,  and  seized  the  side  of  the  boat, 
begging  furiously,  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  for  wine.  We 
had  seen  them  running  a  considerable  distance,  on  a  marshy, 
swampy  plane,  naked  as  they  were  bom,  till  about  opposite, 
when  in  they  plunged,  and  soon  came  up  alongside,  puffing 
11*= 


126  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

and  blowing  like  sea-lions.  Backshiesh  was  on  their  lips,  as 
everywhere  else.  They  called  us  Christos,  and  made  various 
overtures  to  convince  us  they  were  good  Christians,  by  begging 
for  backshiesh.  With  three  fingers  they  clung  to  the  gunwale, 
and  were  dragged  ahead  at  a  rapid  rate.  One  of  them  kept 
repeating  Hmcadji  Christanos,  as  much  as  to  say,  Christian 
gentlemen.  Their  beards  were  long  and  black,  their  heads 
shaven  smooth  as  glass,  while  their  white,  beautifully-sound 
teeth,  were  advantageously  shown  by  opening  their  mouths  to 
show  they  were  empty.  Brandy  was  the  drink  they  most 
wanted.  Two  empty  bottles  were  thrown  to  them  ;  one  drained 
the  last  reluctant  drops,  and  then  the  cry  was  for  wine. 

At  three  o'clock,  p.  m.,  arrived  at  Minielf,  the  residence  of 
another  governor,  and  the  site  of  ruins.  From  tradition  and 
the  historians,  we  learn  that  this  was  a  town  of  importance, 
thousands  of  years  ago.  Great  events  transpired  in  this 
dusty,  thirsty,  uninviting  Arab  town,  before  the  birth  of  Abra- 
ham. All  the  streets  were  narrow,  and  commanded  at  each 
extremity  by  wooden  doors.  Policemen,  or  officers  of  the  army, 
—  we  could  not  be  certain  which,  —  with  their  belts  stuck  full 
of  large,  heavy  horse-pistols,  were  lounging  about  in  the  bazaar, 
and  cooling  themselves  where  a  shade  was  to  be  had.  One 
swarthy  fellow,  strutting  about,  with  an  expression  of  singular 
importance,  had  a  wooden  sword,  —  quite  as  useful  to  him  as 
one  of  steel.  They  are  notorious  cowards,  and  rarely  use 
their  arms  till  they  are  positively  sure  there  is  no  danger ;  or 
when  goaded  on  by  task-masters  in  the  rear,  who  would  kill 
them  did  they  not  kill  those  in  front.  Therp  was  nothing  to 
be  seen  in  the  bazaars  but  soft  bread,  tobacco,  pipes,  eggs,  fowls, 
and  coarse  articles  of  hard  ware.  The  women  were  in  the 
majority,  lounging  in  the  alleys  and  streets. 

There  is  a  splendid  sugar-manufacturing  house  there,  under 


AN    AKAB    PATIENT.  127 

the  management  of  a  French  engineer.  The  sugar  was  of  the 
best  quality.  A  heap  of  animal  bones  in  the  yard  astonished 
us.  At  first  sight,  the  collection  of  carcasses  was  startling. 
They  are  converted  into  coal,  and  used  in  clarifying  the  sugar. 
Great  fields  of  growing  cane  extended  far  into  the  distance. 
Water  was  raised  by  a  steam  pump,  poured  into  mud-trenches, 
and  thus  distributed  over  the  roots  of  the  growing  crops. 

Nov.  20th.  —  With  incessant  pulling  and  tugging,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  a  few  miles  from  Minieh,  and,  unwillingly, 
laid  by  for  the  ni§||it.  At  early  dawn,  the  village  was  scoured 
for  fresh  provisions,  which,  at  the  end  of  three  hours,  resulted 
in  the  purchase  of  eight  half-starved  chickens.  I  begin  to 
loathe  them,  from  being  obliged  to  feed  on  poultry  the  whole 
time.  Hassan  cooked  them  better  than  anything; — our  praise 
of  his  skill  made  him  ambitious  to  stew  a  hecatomb  of  them. 
One  Arab,  in  a  cabin  nearly  opposite  the  tombs  of  Beni  Has- 
san, sought  my  advice,  having  incidentally  ascertained  that  I 
was  a  hakem,  or  doctor.  He  had  a  singularly  tumefied  abdo- 
men, probably  from  gorging  on  green  roasted  millet.  Poor 
creature  !  —  he  had  a  comfortless  home  in  a  mud  hovel.  He 
was  lying  on  a  straw  mat  in  a  corner,  on  the  ground,  —  the 
only  floor,  in  a  dark  room,  eight  feet  square  by  six  high. 
There  was  neither  a  window  or  a  particle  of  furniture,  beyond 
a  sieve,  coarse  as  a  cane-seat  chair-bottom.  The  door  was  so 
low  that  I  had  to  shorten  one-half  to  enter.  All  the  women  in 
the  neighborhood  rushed  in,  while  groups  of  heavy -bearded  men, 
wild,  strong  and  restless  in  their  movements,  blocked  up  the 
outside.  It  was  necessary  to  have  them  open  right  and  left  to 
obtain  light  enough  to  see  the  patient.  Being  in  a  dark 
region,  the  females  dropped  their  veils,  which  gave  me  a  fair 
opportunity  of  scanning  their  features,  they  being  between  me 
and  the  light.     They  were  excessively  ugly  and  dirty.     They 


128  A    riLGlllMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

all  squatted  on  the  ground,  intently  watching  my  motions,  and 
curiously  gazing  at  the  paper  of  little  powders,  unrolled,  in 
pursuit  of  something  appropriate  for  the  swelled  fellah. 
Whether  the  active  cathartic  that  was  given  removed  the  dif- 
ficulty, is  unknown.  His  care-wom  expression,  the  misery 
that  surrounded  him,  the  moral  darkness  that  must  have  been 
his  accompaniment  through  life,  and  the  social  condition  of  the 
community  with  which  he  was  identified,  were  so  forcibly  im- 
pressed upon  my  mind,  that  I  cannot  forget  him.  Nile  water, 
raw  or  roasted  millet,  sheets  of  soft  black  b^ad,  baked  in  the 
hot  ashes  of  gi'ass  and  cow-dung,  are  the  principal  articles  of 
food,  for  well  or  sick,  which  are  within  the  reach  of  these  poor 
people.  The  exactions  of  the  local  governors  and  sheiks  take 
from  them  the  few  luxuries  that  might  be  occasionally  used 
under  a  milder  system  of  government. 

Business  increased  rapidly,  by  finding  medicine  and  visiting 
gratuitously.  By  sundown  I  should  have  had  an  immense 
practice,  had  we  remained.  One  of  the  crew  became  indis- 
posed. One  of  his  aquatic  associates  had  the  reputation  of 
being  a  doctor,  and  therefore  he  was  consulted,  instead  of 
myself.  This  was  gratifying,  because  it  gave  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  witnessing  the  native  medication.  First,  the  patient's 
head  was  thoroughly  manipulated,  much  as  the  magnetizers 
proceed ;  he  then  pulled  both  ears  smartly,  till  they  were  red, 
stroked  the  head  from  the  crown  to  the  forehead,  and  then 
pinched  the  scalp  into  longitudinal  wrinkles,  by  nipping  it  with 
his  fingers.  Dampening  his  fingers,  he  gently  rubbed  the 
spine  and  arms.  Suddenly  he  jerked  the  poor  dog's  neck  from 
side  to  side,  as  though  he  were  trying  to  snap  it  oflT.  Some 
hot  water  was  poured  into  the  ears.  Next  the  navel  was 
tenderly  touched  with  tepid  water,  as  cautiously  as  though  it 
were  the  apple  of  the  eye.     When  those  external  acts  were 


INDIGO-MAKING.  129 

through,  I  gave  him  a  cup  of  tea,  and  Yasack  retired  under  a 
plank  for  repose,  where  two  turkeys,  a  goose,  a  cat,  a  basket  of 
charcoal,  a  bag  of  potatoes,  and  all  the  rats,  were  lodged. 

On  pulling  up  the  mooring-pin,  the  last  time,  one  of  the  crew 
was  still  strolling  on  shore,  to  overtake  us.  He  must  have  run 
several  miles  on  the  bank,  when  the  boat  sheered  in,  and  he 
sprang  on  board.  A  few  words  were  heard,  when  the  reis  flew 
at  him  with  the  ferocity  of  a  tiger,  and  beat  him  unmercifully, 
when  a  blow  was  not  diverted  by  the  culprit's  hand.  The 
scuffle  was  spirited,  for  a  few  moments,  the  reis  striking  with 
a  piece  of  rope ;  but  the  sailor  was  strong,  and,  had  he  dared, 
he  might  have  sent  his  master  overboard  with  a  kick.  When 
the  affray  had  ended,  the  reis  laid  down  the  rope,  faced  the 
holy  city  of  Mecca,  bowed  reverentially,  and  then  went  calmly 
through  the  prescribed  prayers.  A  question,  subsequently, 
being  raised  in  regard  to  the  true  direction  of  Mecca,  —  some 
facing  towards  a  point  different  from  others,  —  a  map  and 
compass  were  produced,  and  the  matter  settled;  the  reis 
manifesting  evident  gratification  on  being  confirmed  by  those 
witnesses  that  he  was  right. 

We  came  to  a  cleared  field,  where,  the  crop  being  off,  the 
manner  of  making  indigo  was  examined.  Two  men,  with  a 
strip  of  cloth  about  their  loins,  wearing  caps,  were  stirring  the 
boiling  mass  in  earthen  pots,  sunk  into  earth,  when  we  came 
in  sight.  To  ascertain  whether  they  stood  in  fear  of  howadjis, 
I  made  the  following  experiment :  As  soon  as  our  eyes  met, 
I  ran  towards  them  as  swiftly  as  my  feet  would  go,  when 
away  they  ran  into  the  millet-stalks,  at  a  deer's  speed,  and 
that  was  the  last  of  them.  They  doubtless  thought  that  we 
were  impressing  soldiers,  and  therefore  instantly  ran  beyond 
our  reach. 

To-day  we  passed  several  rafts,  entirely  composed  of  earthen 


130  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO  EGTPT. 

pots,  with  their  mouths  up.  lashed  together  ingeniously  by 
strips  of  rattan  binding  and  bamboo  poles.  Men  walked  over 
them,  as  they  do  on  timber-rafts  on  the  Rhine,  and  on  the  St. 
Lawrence,  in  Canada.  They  were  bailing  constantly,  stepping 
from  one  vessel  to  the  other.  The  pots,  being  unglazed,  leaked, 
of  course.  A  rag,  dipped  in,  imbibed  the  water;  and  thus 
they  were  perpetually  on  the  watch,  that  none  of  them  should 
get  too  full,  and  drag  the  rest  to  the  bottom.  Went  by  a  town, 
on  the  river-bank,  that  has  been  singularly  cut  aA\'ay  by  the 
never-tiring  Nile,  which  is  now  undermining  the  inhabitants. 
Saw  a  very  large  number  of  sakkias.  Some  of  the  hard  work- 
ers, who  were  laboring  at  them,  were  white,  like  Europeans ; 
consequently,  the  contrast  with  the  bronze  or  brassy  hue  of 
others,  by  the  side  of  them,  was  striking.  Went  ashore  to 
inspect  some  valuable  sugar-machinery,  excellent  in  finish, 
from  France. 

Nov.  21st.  Thursday.  —  This  day  was  tmusually  monoto- 
nous, and  unproductive  of  incidents.  We  progressed  very 
slowly,  the  wind  being  both  light  and  flawj-.  Lost  sight  of 
the  Englishman's  boat.  Walked  on  the  eastern  bank  about 
two  miles,  this  forenoon,  which  afforded  a  good  opportunity  for 
ascertaining  the  land  culture.  Patches  of  tobacco,  a  few  beans, 
and  sugar-cane,  were  common  ;  but  millet  was  the  predominant 
crop.  Ridges  of  mud  were  raised,  beginning  at  the  shadoof, 
which  conducted  the  water,  when  drawn,  to  every  root  and 
hillock  on  the  field.  Farming  in  November  consists  mairdy 
in  drawing  water  for  irrigation,  and  in  making  preparation  for 
sowing  some  kind  of  seed.  Saw  a  few  good  horses,  hampered  ; 
some  poor  sheep,  one  of  which  was  purchased ;  several  well-fed 
buffaloes,  and  one  or  two  young  camels.  A  boy  was  fishing,  at 
a  turn  in  the  river,  by  suddenly  plunging  a  wicker  basket, 
inverted,  into  the  water.     He  then  thrust  his  hand  through  a 


li<4e,  and  caoght  the  prisoners,  and  threw  theati  on  ibe  ground. 
The  Nile  must  be  pkadfully  stocked,  to  hare  them  mmoeioias 
enough  to  be  tbm  iakea,  in  sballuw  places.  The  boys  erea 
waded  in  the  muddy  water,  and  easily  took  eonsidccable  sEtuii- 
bers  of  lively  little  scaled  fish,  in  the  same  majmer. 

Not.  22d.  Friday.  —  A  day  of  duloess ;  no  wind,  of  any 
consequence,  since  last  erening;  consequently,  oni  adrajjicc 
<MWMd  has  been  rexatiously  unsatisfactory.  The  irrer  was 
toftaoas,  and,  while  musing  on  its  &eaks,  in  cutting  fiivt  into 
<me  bank  and  then  shooting  across  to  the  other,  we  passed  by 
Maaialoot,  having  a  governor,  with  a  residence  for  him,  christ- 
ened a  pabce.  It  ss  poobably  the  site  of  an  ancient  town.  The 
naaae  iigmfiriir  ike  jdmee  ef  teUd  asses  ;  while,  according  to  lite 
tTMJkigw  of  the  iiihiliiiirtii,  it  means  the  ^joxx.  cf  exile  cf  Lot. 
It  is  pretended  that  the  holy  family  xesaded  in.  tkis  icnni  taU 
after  the  death  of  Herod.  The  rir^  Ins  lapidij  waake^  wmxy 
a  part  of  the  town,  and  maj  aooa  wuij»  vS  ifae  iiniin«iMiiWT 
Beni  Ali,  back  of  the  town,  azkd  quite  near  the  Libyan  desert» 
was  the  spot  where  MaJuin'med  Ali  had  his  Nizaxa,  or  best 
troops,  drilled  for  csjpksis  in  the  Morea.  TlMSoanadg  of  wild 
geeae  were  fiymg  tfwifcfoi,  and  Hgihribg  as  the  sboais  aad 
exposed  nmd-bars. 

Nov.  23d.  Saturday.  —  Throagk  maadk  hm  of  time,  wind- 
ings of  the  river,  and  lack  of  wind,  we  did  not  arriTe  at  Ae 
great  town  of  Osioot,  wi&  iffi  twessty  tbo^Bxid  wilmlwifaiiiiilBi,  wk 
noon.  It  is  erva  a  nde  aaid  a  kalf  &qbb  dte  pant,  «r  l—itiBe- 
place,  back  to  the  iiii  iilt  mi  iiii(  It  is  the  saie  «£  like  ikaooed 
aariffnt  city  of  LyeopoKs,  or  city  of  like  wolreB,  and  die  abode 
of  lie  govemoT  of  Upper  Eg3rpt,  So  lapiflj  ias  ike 
been  ioawed,  ikai  the  river  is  actmDy  cscavded  nearly 
mBes  to  the  east  &CKa  its  old  dtajuieL  We  ]Hffiud  die  cater 
CGOihs  of  the  dogs,  op  in  the  rorks,  beyood  like  temm.    A  Bi^w- 


132  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

ity  of  the  dwellings  are  mud ;  some  are  of  old  broken  bricks, 
that  may  have  been  used  a  hundred  times  before.  I  counted 
nine  minarets,  —  a  proof  of  their  being  nine  mosques.  Rode 
through  the  lane-streets,  dubbed  bazaars,  on  donkeys.  We 
were  objects  of  amusement  to  the  quiet  native  lookers-on.  My 
high-crowned  black  hat  was  more  astonishing  than  our  white 
faces.  A  prisoner  was  led  by  us,  on  foot,  with  both  hands 
keyed  into  a  heavy  piece  of  square  timber,  apparently  over  two 
feet  long  by  six  inches  square,  from  whence  iron  trace-chains 
reached  to  his  neck,  and,  perhaps,  feet.  He  was  preceded  by 
an  officer  on  horseback,  and  followed  by  soldiers  with  guns. 
An  ass-driver  gave  me  to  understand  that  he  would  be  shot ; 
but  capital  punishments  are  virtually  abolished  in  Egypt ;  and, 
therefore,  the  prisoner's  crime  was  to  be  atoned  for  in  some 
other  way,  savagely  cruel,  and,  no  doubt,  worse  than  death. 

The  grain  mart  was  on  a  wide  kind  of  bridge,  spanning  a 
canal,  on  one  side  of  which,  and  thence  some  way  into  the 
street,  finely-developed  Arab  dealers  in  grain  were  gravely 
seated  on  the  bare  ground,  by  the  side  of  heaps  of  peas,  beans, 
barley,  and  some  other  kinds  of  seed,  not  familiar  to  me.  They 
wore  white  turbans,  had  heavy  coal-black  beards,  and  were 
smoking  in  dignified  silence,  as  we  ambled  over  their  feet,  and 
between  their  piles  of  property.  Mr.  Holland  had  written  a 
letter,  which  he  wished  to  mail  at  this  place  for  Cairo.  With 
a  good  deal  of  inquiry,  the  post-master  was  found ;  but  the 
superscription  must  necessarily  be  in  Arabic,  or  no  one  could 
send  it  to  its  destination.  Accompanied  by  Hassan,  it  took 
half  an  hour,  at  least,  in  the  busy  streets,  to  find  a  man  who 
could  write.  The  post-master  kept  close  to  his  heels  till  the 
direction  was  written,  and  then  took  the  postage  in  advance. 
We  here  purchased  groceries,  charcoal,  and  native  bread  ;  and, 
on  returning  to  the  boat,  were  met  by  the  crew,  in  a  body, 


EGYPTIAN   TREATM£NT   OF   BIRDS.  133 

demanding  backshiesh  again,  which  was  given,  as  on  a  former 
occasion. 

A  flock  of  noisy  wild  geese  flew  over  head,  to-day,  that  were 
judged  to  extend  several  miles  in  a  continuous  line.  Their 
numbers  exceeded  by  ten-fold  all  flights  of  them  in  other 
countries  with  which  we  are  familiar.  They  feared  us,  and 
shunned  the  near  approach  of  the  boat;  but  were  rarely  dis- 
turbed by  the  sight  of  Arabs.  They  either  learned,  on  other 
continents,  that  the  Christians  are  waging  a  perpetual  warfare 
with  all  feathered  tribes,  or  the  bad  usage  they  have  had  meted 
out  to  them  by  the  hands  of  foreigners,  when  they  arrive  in 
Egypt,  induces  them  to  shun  all  but  the  natives  at  sight.  We 
have  a  bad  reputation  with  the  birds.  How  is  it  that  Moham- 
medans, in  their  intercourse  with  animals,  are  so  much  more 
humane  than  the  most  pious  and  exemplary  professors  of  reli- 
gion ?  They  are  without  mercy  towards  each  other,  when 
heated  by  passion,  yet  they  are  trustworthy  and  abiding  friends 
of  beasts  and  birds.  Witnessed  from  the  boat  a  real  knock- 
down fight;  botii  turbans  and  rope's  ends  flew  about,  like 
feathers  in  a  whirlwind ;  but,  as  the  combatants  hurt  no  one 
but  themselves,  we  cared  nothing  about  it.  •  When  coming  out 
of  the  town,  through  a  gateway  raised  upon  a  dike,  we  noticed, 
with  more  earnestness  than  when  we  entered,  the  rows  of  sol- 
diers, armed  with  swords  and  pistols,  squads  of  grain-dealers, 
and  long  lines  of  Arab  gentlemen  seated  on  mother  earth, 
smoking.  Saw  some  ploughing  going  on  in  a  field ;  the  plough 
was  a  natural  crook  of  wood,  and  the  team,  two  cows. 

Nov.  24:th.  Sunday.  —  A  tolerable  run,  after  leaving  Osioot, 
through  last  night.  A  boisterous  wind,  to-day,  in  blasts  and 
squalls,  which  brought  the  sand  from  the  desert  in  a  fine  sheet ; 
we  could  see  it,  at  times,  in  admirable  commotion.  Had  we 
been  in  the  midst  of  it,  three  or  four  miles  off,  it  would  have 
12 


134  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

given  us  all  the  features  of  a  sand-storm.  Early  last  evening, 
we  laid  by  a  short  time,  in  a  bend  of  the  river;  and,  hearing 
the  sound  of  merriment,  and  seeing  the  flashes  of  a  grass  fire, 
a  lantern  was  prepared,  and  off"  we  started,  in  search  of  the 
jollification,  —  a  very  unusual  circumstance  in  an  Arabic  set- 
tlement, where  nothing  but  the  barking  of  dogs  is  heard  after 
the  shades  of  evening  prevail.  Flat  on  the  ashes  and  rubbish, 
in  one  comer  of  a  roofless,  floorless  house,  sat  an  elderly 
woman, ^eating  a  sort  of  drum,  resembling  a  rough  tamborine, 
while  seven  or  eight  girls  —  her  companions  in  ashes  —  were 
clapping  their  hands  in  unison,  beating  time.  In  another  dark 
corner  were  some  swarthy,  turbaned  Arabs,  whom  we  should 
not  have  seen,  had  not  a  flash  of  fresh  grass  revealed  their 
persons.  They  were  silently  smoking,  and  listening,  with 
apparent  pleasure,  to  the  discordant  sounds  of  the  female  per- 
formers. Hassan  said  this  was  the  celebration  of  a  marriage 
in  low  life; — just  as  low  as  it  could  be,  without  digging;  — 
and  the  bride  may  have  been  her  husband's  fortieth  wife,  for 
aught  I  know  to  the  contrary,  as  the  men  are  perpetually 
divorcing  their  wives,  on  the  most  trivial  pretexts,  and  supply- 
ing the  vacancy  in  their  capacious  hearts  by  the  immediate 
espousal  of  another. 

Not  far  from  this  is  a  celebrated  stone,  which  is  visited  by 
females  from  a  distance,  who  address  it  as  though  it  were  con- 
scious, and  leap  over  it,  praying  they  may  be  the  mother  of 
many  children.  They  are  never  satisfied  with  the  number 
they  have,  —  and  yet  they  are  astonishingly  prolific.  Even 
little  girls  ape  the  manners  of  their  elders,  and  leap  the  stone 
for  dear  life,  A  woman  who  has  outdone  all  her  neighbors  in 
bearing  children  is  a  gem.  Multiply  is  the  sentiment  impressed 
on  every  eastern  mind,  —  for  children  are  power.     Sons  are  a 


DOMESTIC   CHARACTER   OF   NATIVES.  186 

glory  to  a  mother.  "  What  father  puts  away  the  mother  of 
his  sons  ? "  asks  the  Arab  wise  man. 

Although  passing,  every  hour  or  two,  the  sites  of  great  towns, 
either  of  early  Egyptian  or  Coptish  origin,  it  is  scarcely  worth 
while  to  write  what  tradition  says  of  them.  Came  in  sight  of 
Govvel  Kebeer,  where  a  vast  temple  once  stood,  dedicated  to 
Antaeus.  Proceeding  upward,  great  mounds  came  into  view, 
—  the  reliable  evidences  of  a  town  having  once  been  on  them. 
Gebel  Shekh  Hereedee,  another  point  on  the  river,  upon  our 
track,  was  reputed  once  to  have  been  the  home  of  a  monstrous 
serpent,  that  cured  all  diseases.  Saw  in  the  afternoon,  on  the 
east  side,  square  door  entrances  into  the  limestone  rocks, 
seventy  feet  or  more  above  the  base.  Four  or  five  were  near 
together;  then  considerable  space  intervened,  and  another 
series  was  presented,  along  the  range  of  natural  masonry. 
There  must  have  been  mechanical  skill,  patience  and  fearless- 
ness, in  those  who  worked  their  way  into  the  mountain  in  that 
manner.  Doubtless  these  excavations  were  receptacles  for  the 
dead.  They  extended  some  miles,  before  they  were  finally  lost 
sight  of.  Read  parts  of  the  Old  Testament  that  made  refer- 
ence to  the  customs  of  Egypt  at  the  period  in  which  they  were 
written ;  and  was  satisfied  no  great  changes  in  the  domestic 
character  of  the  inhabitants  have  been  efiected  since,  although 
the  Arabs  are  comparatively  new  comers.  They  copied  the 
habits  and  domestic  arrangements  of  their  predecessors,  who 
had  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  a  still  more  remote  people ; 
and,  therefore,  the  aspect  of  every-day  life  in  the  Nilotic  val- 
ley is  nearly  what  it  has  been  for  thousands  of  years. 

Nov.  25th.  Monday.  —  To  our  extreme  gratification,  this 
has  been  a  windy  day.  Strange,  how  gentlemen  of  common 
sense  can  find  nothing  more  agreeable  than  wind  for  a  topic,  in 
the  focus  of  the  grandest  ruins  on  the  globe ;  but  it  is  a  mem- 


136  A    PIiaKIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

orable  fact,  we  were  sometimes  actually  straitened  for  conver- 
sational subjects.  Under  circumstances  like  these,  there  was 
nothing  to  say,  when  one  might  have  expected  nothing  short 
of  learned  disquisitions  on  the  wisdom  of  the  Eg}'3)tians,  of 
which  those  discourse  the  most  enthusiastically  who  know  the 
least  about  it.  It  is  by  no  means  certain  that  the  liege  subjects 
of  the  monarchs  of  the  Nile  had  any  wisdom  at  all.  All  the 
wind  we  have  is  invariably  from  the  west.  This  shows  the 
advantage  of  making  the  voyage  at  the  season  when  it  takes 
the  trade  character. 

As  heretofore,  mounds  of  old  settlements  are  all  the  while 
coming  within  the  range  of  vision;  some  are  near,  and  others 
remote.  There  is  not  an  inch  of  soil  on  either  side  the  vener- 
able Nile,  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Mountains  of  the 
Moon,  that  has  not  been  in  the  occupancy  of  human  beings, 
since  they  first  set  foot  on  the  land.  Mud  villages,  millet- 
fields,  and,  frequently,  a  patch  of  new  grain,  are  recognized. 
There  are  no  pastures,  no  grass-fields,  or  swells  of  cultivated 
ground.  The  farms  are  on  a  dead  level,  and  must  be  regularly 
watered,  or  nothing  can  grow.  Dates  are  the  principal  trees; 
clusters  of  locusts  are  raised  for  timber ;  but  they  are  not  large, 
and,  when  hewn,  six  feet  is  beyond  the  average  length  of  a 
stick  free  from  knots  and  crooks.  Out  of  these  the  boats  are 
manufactured.  All  the  men,  women  and  children,  dress  here 
precisely  as  they  do  all  the  way  down  to  Alexandria. 

Passed,  this  morning,  the  town  of  Ekhmim,  the  site  of  one 
of  the  largest  cities  of  the  Thebiad,  or  province  of  Thebes. 
Shall  have  more  to  say  of  it,  and  of  those  places  we  omit  in 
ascending,  on  our  return.  Two  miles  further,  passed  a  Copt 
convent,  on  the  east  bank,  located  on  a  mound.  Although 
these  Christian  solitaries  are  single  men, — matrimony  not 
being  tolerated,  because  it  would  divert  them  from  the  contem- 


liCDICROOS   INCIDENT.  137 

plation  and  practice  of  their  faith,  —  they  have  wives,  says 
some  slanderous  authority.  My  opinion  is,  that  the  Coptish 
Christian  church  does  not  forbid  the  marriage  of  monks.  Has- 
san, who  travelled  with  a  distinguished  man,  some  years  since, 
up  this  very  course,  assured  us  that  his  master  purchased  a 
Nubian  slave  woman,  who  became  a  favorite,  and  on  whom  he 
settled  a  pension,  that  was  continued  till  she  died.  Hassan 
speaks  of  having  seen  Miss  Martineau,  a  woman  who  heard 
with  a  big  ting  in  her  ear.  The  desert  encroaches  upon  the 
river  along  here,  in  all  the  dreariness  of  bare  stone,  on  the  east 
side,  quite  touching  the  water,  for  some  miles.  Hassan  gave 
us  some  statistical  memoranda  of  this  neighborhood.  At 
Thebes,  he  says,  an  Arab  fellah  died,  last  season,  who  had 
forty  children  by  three  wives,  namely,  twenty-five  sons  and 
fifteen  daughters.  Most  of  the  former  are  now  men  grown. 
Saw  as  many  as  three  hundred  very  large  white  pelicans 
together,  on  a  bar  of  mud.  Just  back  of  Ekhmim  is  a  stone, 
to  which  females  resort,  on  account  of  its  singular  properties  of 
making  those  fruitful  who  repeat  certain  appropriate  words 
over  it,  and  remain  a  certain  period  for  rest  and  meditation. 
It  is,  probably,  an  old  sculptured  fragment  of  a  long  ago 
destroyed  temple. 

Nov.  26tk.  Tuesday.  —  While  walking  through  the  bazaar 
of  Girgeh,  a  finely-dressed  Arab,  in  a  tarbousch,  immense 
trousers,  with  two  big  pistols  sticking  in  his  sash,  came  up,  with 
a  patronizing  air,  and,  before  we  were  aware  of  his  intentions, 
appeared  to  be  showing  us  off  to  the  natives.  He  patted  me 
on  the  back,  saying  tibe,  in  a  low  voice,  meaning  good ;  when 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Holland  stepped  in  front,  and  told  him,  in  an 
unmistakable  language,  to  right  about  face,  or  he  would  knock 
him  into  another  week.  He  took  the  hint,  and  gladly  made 
his  exit,  to  the  amusement  of  the  astonished  looking-on  smokers. 
12* 


138  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT, 

At  four  o'clock,  p.  m.,  yesterday,  the  reis  insisted  upon  stopping 
at  Girgeh,  to  bake  bread;  and,  as  it  was  stipulated  in  the  con- 
tract that  twenty-four  hours  should  be  allotted  for  that  purpose, 
no  objections  could  be  made  that  would  avail,  although  it  was 
excessively  provoking  to  halt  in  a  favorable  breeze,  when  the 
business  of  running  against  a  strong  current  was  the  first  to  be 
attended  to,  till  the  end  of  the  voyage  was  attained.  I  advise 
all  future  voyagers  on  the  Nile,  in  making  a  boat-bargain,  on 
no  account  to  give  an  hour  for  this  bread-baking.  It  is  only  a 
scheme  for  delay,  to  prolong  the  trip,  and  get  more  money ;  or, 
mther,  pay,  without  rendering  an  equivalent. 

Early  this  morning,  donkeys  were  procured  for  an  inland 
excursion;  but  they  came  without  saddles  or  bridles.  We 
were  bound  to  the  celebrated  ruins  of  Abydos.  The  little,  fuzzy, 
long-eared  brutes  looked  as  though  they  might  be  laughing 
in  their  skins  at  their  own  shabby  appearance.  Mine  was 
guided  with  a  stick ;  but  the  driver  took  the  cord  that  confined 
his  shirt  round  the  waist,  and  laid  it  across  the  ridge-pole  back 
of  the  wise-looking  quadruped,  into  the  ends  of  which  my  toes 
found  a  bearing ;  and  the  remainder  of  the  jaunt  was  made 
tolerably  comfortable,  for  a  bare-back  ride,  in  a  hot  sun,  seven 
miles,  without  saddle  or  bridle,  Abydos  was  the  city  of  cities, 
in  the  glorious  days  of  Egyptian  greatness.  It  was  here  that 
Osiris  and  Rameses  the  Great  were  buried.  Unnecessary 
alarm  was  raised  about  the  danger  of  the  expedition.  A  guide 
refused  to  budge,  unless  he  had  assistants.  This  was  a  trick  to 
get  more  money  than  could  otherwise  be  realized.  Having 
learned  something  of  Arabic  character  by  the  little  intercourse 
had  with  them  since  entering  the  country,  we  started  off  with 
a  guide,  two  donkeys,  and  one  single  driver,  without  a  guard; 
and  arrived,  without  molestation  or  hindrance,  at  the  massive 
ruins  of  the  buried  temples.     The  guide  carried  a  long  stick. 


RUINS   OF    ABYDOS.  139 

His  venerable  beard,  huge  hot  turban  on  a  shaven  head,  spare, 
bare  spindle-shanks,  and  solemn  aspect,  amused  us  exceedingly. 
He  seemed  to  feel  the  importance  of  his  elevated  position,  as 
he  walked  before  us  almost  as  fast  as  our  sheep-sized  asses 
could  scramble  over  the  path,  urged  and  goaded  in  the  rear  by 
their  attendant  tormentor. 

We  made  a  satisfactory  exploration  of  the  magnificent  ruins. 
There  are  two  temples,  nearly  concealed  by  the  accumulation 
of  sand  from  the  Libyan  desert.  They  were  probably  on  an 
eminence,  in  the  centre  of  a  highly-cultivated  plain,  that 
inclined  to  the  river,  which  once  flowed  within  half  a  mile  of 
them.  It  is  now  several  miles  to  the  river,  —  the  tendency 
being,  as  it  has  been  for  an  undefined  period,  toward  the  east- 
em  desert.  The  roofs  of  both  edifices  were  flat,  and  made  of 
enormous  blocks  of  stone.  Here  and  there  one  was  broken,  so 
that  we  could  squeeze  in  and  get  underside,  which  would  be 
the  very  top  of  the  ceiling,  had  the  spacious  apartments  been 
empty.  There  is  a  mystery  in  regard  to  the  filling  up  of  these 
and  some  other  immense  structures  we  have  seen.  Sand  does 
not  make  the  mass  within ;  on  the  contrary,  broken  bricks, 
stones  of  unequal  sizes,  pottery,  loam,  bones  of  animals,  &c., 
are  as  compactly  stowed,  as  though  carried  in  with  a  view  to 
filling  up  the  interior.  One  of  the  buildings  is  called  the  pal- 
ace, and  the  other  a  temple.  The  pillars  —  which  we  got  to 
by  crawling  with  a  lighted  candle  —  are  immensely  large,  and 
covered  with  reliefs,  of  very  wonderful  execution.  While  some 
were  large,  others  were  minute ;  but  the  exquisite  finish  was 
surprising,  and  just  as  perfect  in  all  its  details  as  when  it 
was  completed  by  the  mechanics  who  executed  it.  On  the 
walls,  too,  there  were  immense  numbers  of  figures,  such  as  are 
everywhere  recognized  on  Egyptian  monuments.  This  burying 
of  such  immense  edifices  must  have  been  brought  about  by 


140  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

sand-storms,  which  finally  drove  away  the  people  who  resided 
near  these  sacred  places ;  and,  in  process  of  time,  they  were 
both  neglected  and  forgotten.  A  short  distance  to  the  west  of 
these  great  works  of  art,  we  saw  the  base  of  a  monolith,  like 
those  in  Rome,  and  the  one  in  Paris,  and  particularly  resem- 
bling Cleopatra's  Needle,  at  Alexandria.  It  was  five  feet  square. 
My  curiosity  was  raised  to  ascertain  how  it  was  possible  to 
break  off  a  column  of  stone  of  such  dimensions  without  wrench- 
ing the  remaining  portion  from  its  perpendicular  position.  The 
shaft  of  the  obelisk  is,  no  doubt,  under  the  sand,  quite  near. 
Fragments,  two  miles  west,  indicate  extensive  settlements  to 
have  existed  once  on  that  spot. 

Abydos  is  now  called  Arabat  el  Matfoon,  or  The  buried. 
Whether  a  canal  originally  ran  from  the  Nile  to  the  magnifi- 
cent ruins,  or  the  river  swept  near  by,  are  questions.  I  am 
quite  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  river  was  there.  In  the 
time  of  Strabo,  Abydos  had  become  a  mere  village ;  but,  in  its 
glory,  it  was  only  second  to  Thebes.  In  the  general  survey  of 
the  remains  of  Egyptian  architecture,  a  reference  will  be  made 
to  these  great  works  again.  A  vast  cemetery,  as  old  as  Osir- 
tasin  I.,  —  who  reigned  1740  years  before  Christ,  —  and  other 
early  Pharaohs,  and  some  of  the  ovals  containing  the  name  of 
Rameses  the  Great,  have  been  identified.  The  face  of  the 
projecting  rocks,  raised  up  on  the  brow  of  the  desert,  are  cut 
into,  very  high  up.  These  are  grottoes,  and,  not  unlikely,  deep 
recesses,  that  might  have  been  tombs  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  people  in  the  age  in  which  they  were  wrought.  Through- 
out Egypt,  preparations  for  death  seem  to  have  been  the  lead- 
ing thought. 

Being  announced  as  a  doctor,  the  whole  population  of  a  mis- 
erable village,  half  a  mile  distant,  flocked  together  round  the 
corner  of  the  mighty  fabric,  on  the  top  of  which  we  were  then 


MORE   EGYPTIAN    PATIENTS.  141 

sitting,  for  reflection  and  luncheon,  haA'ing  completed  our 
researches  into  the  splendid  but  debased  interior.  One  had  a 
sore  on  the  back  of  his  neck;  a  second,  a  lame  knee;  and 
others,  both  real  and  imaginary  maladies.  Keen  black-eyed 
boys;  light-footed,  gazelle-eyed  Arab  girls,  timid  as  fawns; 
together  with  bronzed,  hard-featured  men,  —  all  of  whom 
startled  like  wild  birds  whenever  we  turned  round,  shifted 
seats,  or  made  any  unusual  movements,  —  clustered  about 
us.  They  watched  our  eating  operations ;  gazed  with  intense 
interest  on  the  different  kinds  of  food  we  had,  as  much  as  to 
say,  that  is  extraordinary.  If  a  bit  of  hard  biscuit  were  given 
any  one  of  them,  all  the  rest  encircled  him  for  a  taste.  Two 
savage  fellows  came  down  over  the  rocks,  out  of  the  desert,  and 
entered  the  group ;  but  the  universal  sentiment  was  that  they 
should  be  driven  off;  and  away  they  went,  while  the  rabble 
were  hooting  and  screaming  after  them,  as  they  ran  for  their 
desolate  retreat  over  the  hills.  A  fellow  wanted  his  pulse  exam- 
ined, to  know  what  I  thought  of  his  health.  Putting  on  Mr. 
Holland's  gold-bowed  spectacles,  and  holding  a  stone  between 
my  eyes  and  his  \vrist,  as  though  inspecting  it,  he  started  back 
with  surprise.  He  wanted  to  look  through  the  stone,  also ;  but 
I  hesitated.  As  he  expressed  some  doubt  about  my  ability  to 
look  through  it,  he  was  told  to  put  his  hand  under  the  block  on 
which  I  was  sitting,  —  which  was  all  of  four  feet  square,  —  and, 
with  the  glasses,  I  pretended  to  inspect  it.  One  of  the  won- 
dering spectators  expressed  a  desire  to  put  on  the  magic  glasses, 
to  ascertain  whether  he  could  see  through  them.  He*  was 
indulged,  and  the  stone  interposed  between  the  object  and  his 
optics,  when,  lo  I  as  much  to  my  surprise  as  that  of  the  excited 
audience,  he  declared  he  could  see  the  hand  through  the 
stone !     This  was  more  than  had  been  anticipated ;    it  satis- 


142  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT, 

factorily  explains  how  the  imagination  may  assist  believers  in 
animal  magnetism  to  see  what  is  not  to  be  seen. 

Very  many  of  these  shy  creatures  had  antiques  for  sale,  — 
coins,  artificial  bugs  or  beetles,  bits  of  glass,  and  incompre- 
hensible figures,  —  which  they  valued,  in  most  cases,  beyond 
the  means  of  their  visiters.  No  doubt,  they  are  continually 
finding  remnants  and  memorials  of  the  arts,  some  thousand 
years  old,  and  will  continue  to,  in  all  coming  ages ;  because  the 
very  soil  and  sand  are  strewn  with  them.  The  territory  was 
originally  circumscribed,  which  compressed  the  population  into 
narrow  boundaries;  hence  it  would  be  surprising,  indeed, 
should  no  evidences  of  a  mechanical  people  be  found,  where 
one  generation  followed  another,  on  the  same  localities,  from 
two  to  four  thousand  years. 

When  we  returned  to  the  boat,  a  Mohammedan  priest  was 
sitting,  cross-legged,  on  Hassan's  bench,  where  he  slept,  ear- 
nestly writing,  on  long,  narrow  strips  of  paper.  This  led  to  the 
inquiry  what  he  was  doing,  and  the  purport  of  his  visit  in  our 
absence.  The  answer  was,  that  the  holy  man  was  preparing 
charms,  to  keep  off  fever.  The  lines  written  Avere  from  the 
Koran.  He  was  assured  that  a  remedy  so  simple  was  worth 
having,  as  three  of  the  sailors  had  been  feverish.  Hassan 
was  still  debilitated  from  a  slight  attack,  and  doubtless  felt 
unshaken  confidence  in  the  priestly  conjurations.  As  the  man 
of  sanctimonious  pretensions  was  stepping  to  the  plank,  one  of 
the  crew  put  money  in  his  hand,  which  was  pocketed,  of 
course.  I  could  perceive  no  difference,  in  the  general  outward 
air  of  superiority  in  these  operators  on  the  heart,  conscience 
and  credulity  of  their  followers,  and  that  of  the  priests  of 
Rome.  They  both  pretended  to  accomplish  the  same  results, 
by  different  means ;  and  they  certainly  both  took  money  for 
their  heavenly  intercessions.     One  seems  quite  as  sincere  as 


HOLY    MEDICINAL   CHARM:?, 


143 


the  other.  Hassan  was  rather  unwell,  with  slight  feverish 
symptoms,  which  may  have  induced  him  to  avail  himself  of 
the  influence  of  the  preacher  with  the  powers  that  afflict  true 
believers.  When  the  paras  were  put  in  the  hand  of  the  priest, 
he  rolled  up  his  eyes  in  a  kind  of  pious  expression,  while  his 
thin  lips  moved,  perhaps  with  a  benediction  on  the  giver.  I 
happened  t?)  pick  up  one  of  the  charais  on  deck,  which  may 


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FAC  SIMILE    OF    THE  CHXIUI. 


have  been  accidentally  dropped.  As  no  one  inquired  for  it, 
it  was  retained  as  a  curiosity.  At  evening,  there  was  the 
smoke  of  frankincense  puffing  up  from  under  the  deck-planks, 
accompanied  with  the  sweet  odor  of  that  favorite  gum  with  the 
eastern  churches.  Some  religious  rites  had  probably  been 
performed,  of  which  this  was  a  part,  by  direction  of  the  spirit- 


144  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

ual  adviser.  It  is  quite  common  to  see  young  camels,  mules, 
&c.,  with  charms  sewed  in  a  bit  of  canvas,  and  suspended  to 
their  necks,  to  keep  off  evil  spirits,  as  well  as  the  evil  eye. 

Geese  cost,  in  Girgeh,  seventeen  cents  apiece;  a  turkey, 
thirty-seven  cents ;  fowls,  five  cents ;  and  pigeons,  five  cents. 
We  had  quite  an  aviary  on  board ;  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
look  at  the  domesticated  family  springing  for  every%:rumb  that 
fell.  The  next  place  ahead,  of  character,  was  Thebes.  One- 
eyed  farmers  became  scarcer ;  but  those  who  were  without  the 
right  forefinger,  and  had  the  two  upper  front  teeth  on  the  right 
side  knocked  out,  still  surprisingly  numerous.  Ophthahnia 
prevailed  in  the  towns,  but  few  cases  were  recognized  in  the 
small  villages.  The  totally  blind  were  painfully  common 
everywhere.  Small-pox  must  have  been  fatally  prevalent 
through  all  this  region,  judging  from  the  numbers  who  are 
pock-marked.  While  lying  under  the  town,  a  dervish,  with  a 
long,  flowing  head  of  tangled  hair,  dressed  with  considerable 
taste,  —  a  hale,  muscular  fellow,  above  the  ordinary  height,  — 
took  a  stand  on  the  side  hill  above  us.  After  surveying  the 
howadjis  with  a  look  of  sovereign  contempt,  he  exposed  a 
copper  horn,  two  feet  or  more  in  length,  serrated  on  the  outer 
circumference,  so  as  to  resemble  the  rough,  knotted  horn  of  the 
buffalo,  on  which  he  blew  tremendously  two  long-continued 
blasts,  sounding  but  a  single  note.  It  was  incredible  that  he 
could  have  forced  such  a  volume  of  wind  from  his  lungs,  and 
is  yet  a  marvel  how  he  could  possibly  maintain  the  sound  so 
long  without  taking  breath.  When  he  did  stop,  he  sent  a 
boy,  and  demanded  five  paras  for  the  trouble !  He  was  per- 
forming to  raise  money  for  a  whirling  community,  of  which  he 
was  a  sample.  • 

Nov.  21th. — Nothing  of  interest;  slow  towing;  reading,  and 
examining  into  my  domestic  affairs,  —  such  as  clean  handker- 


PIGE0N8.  145 

chiefs  and  shirts ;  —  feeding  poultry,  and  proclaiming  the  law, 
that  they  are  to  have  food,  air,  water  and  humane  treatment, 
from  the  unfeeling  crew.  Saw,  for  the  first  time,  to-day,  on 
the  Nile,  a  huge  crocodile,  sunning  himself.  Hassan  fired, 
without  even  disturbing  the  monster;  but  a  second  charge 
awoke  him,  and  he  slowly  swayed  off  the  mud-bank,  and 
plunged  out  of  sight.  Saw  on  the  bank  several  crates  of  colo- 
cynth,  a  vegetable  production  of  the  desert,  of  the  size  of 
oranges,  strongly  resembling  them  when  divested  of  the  rind. 
They  are  used  in  medicine,  and  grow  spontaneously  in  the 
sand.  When  ripe,  they  are  detached  by  the  wind,  and  roll 
about,  unless  collected,  till  destroyed.  Passed  a  boat  entirely 
laden  with  pigeon-manure,  —  very  dear,  and  much  prized  for 
raising  melons.  It  seems  to  be  the  only  kind  of  manure  in 
which  Egyptians  place  confidence.  This  explains  why  they 
give  such  general  attention  to  pigeon  raising,  above  all  other 
accompaniments  of  the  farm-yard.  On  both  sides  of  the  Nile, 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  Thebes,  every  village,  and  nearly 
every  house,  has  stacks  of  earthen  pots,  laid  horizontally,  to 
the  extent  of  hundreds,  in  which  doves  establish  themselves. 
It  is  one  of  the  curiosities  of  the  country,  to  see  so  many  mil- 
lions of  these  beautiful,  graceful,  inoffensive  birds.  They 
forage,  of  course,  on  the  grain-fields;  but  they  are  neither 
driven  dflf  nor  molested.  We  often  saw  crows  following  the 
sower,  close  to  his  heels,  picking  up  the  kernels  rapidly ;  but 
they  were  not  even  frightened  away.  Passed  a  cargo  of  char- 
coal, sewed  up  in  grass  mats.  It  came  from  Nubia,  above 
Egypt.  Wood  is  extremely  scarce  in  this  part  of  Egypt.  No 
charcoal  can  be  manufactured  here,  since  there  is  no  wood  that 
can  be  spared  for  the  purpose.  Nine  beggars  seated  them- 
selves before  us,  and  simultaneously  pressed  their  claims, 
which  we  did  not  trouble  ourselves  to  investigate. 
13 


146  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Nov.  28tk.  Thursday.  —  Another  windless  night.  It  must 
appear  ridiculous,  to  persons  living  on  land,  that  travellers 
should  have  so  much  to  say  about  wind.  The  fact  is,  it  is  a 
power  on  which  they  rely  for  being  conveyed  from  one  station 
to  another,  when  their  trail  is  on  an  African  river.  After 
breakfast,  we  commenced  a  long  walk  on  the  Libyan  side, 
passing  the  trunks  of  several  sycamores,  full  five  feet  in  diam- 
eter. Saw  a  number  of  tamarasks,  the  sacred  tree  of  Ancient 
Egypt,  the  shittim  wood  of  the  Old  Testament.  Waded 
through  a  field  of  halfar-grass,  near  which  we  saw  two  Arabs 
cutting  off  two  fallen  date-trees,  near  the  roots.  Their  axes 
were  mere  rude,  light  hatchets,  and  an  adze.  It  was  the  effort 
of  children  in  the  result,  and  tedious  beyond  conception.  I 
have  often  seen  carpenters  at  work  in  this  country ;  yet  not  one 
of  them  had  a  common  hand-saw,  but  one  stretched  in  a  frame, 
similar  to  the  wood-sawyer's,  and  of  small  size.  Their  efficient 
and  all-sufficient  tool  is  a  small  adze,  which,  in  their  slow 
hands,  is  an  axe,  hammer,  chisel,  and  everything  else  but  a 
chest  of  tools.  A  bow-drill  is  invariably  used  in  the  place  of  a 
gimblet,  which  last  instrument  seems  to  be  unknown  in  Upper 
Egypt.  Cut  nails  are  not  kno^vn ;  every  nail,  spike  or  tack,  is 
hammered  out  of  WTought  iron.  The  largest  and  best  modern 
sugar-making  establishment  on  the  Nile  is  here,  at  Farshoot, 
and  is  the  property  of  Achmet  Bey,  of  Cairo.  It  is  immense  in 
all  its  appointments,  giving  employment  to  five  hundred  per- 
sons, chiefly  natives,  under  the  superintendence  of  a  French- 
man. The  sugar  was  beautifully  white,  and  the  engineer  said 
the  quantity  sent  to  market  annually  was  two  million  four 
hundred  thousand  pounds.  The  machinery  is  all  of  the  mod- 
ern kind,  made  in  France.  The  engines  are  kept  in  motion, 
and,  in  fact,  all  the  processes  are  conducted,  by  steam ;  and  the 
fuel  is  wholly  and  entirely  halfar-grass,  — a  high,  coarse,  sharp- 


A    SUGAR    MAXUFACTORY.  147 

edged,  wiry  production,  which  cattle  could  not  very  well  feed  on, 
even  when  young,  fresh  and  tender.  It  grows  in  tufts,  very 
rank  and  stiff,  — thousands  of  acres  having  been  overgrown 
with  it  in  the  neighborhood.  The  Arabs  were  perpetually 
arriving  with  it,  in  dry  bundles,  on  camels,  unlading  it  in  a 
yard.  One  piastre  —  equal  to  five  cents  —  was  paid  for  two 
hundred  quintals.  Labor  could  not  be  worth  much,  when  hun- 
dreds of  strong  men  were  uninterruptedly  engaged  in  bringing 
grass  in  that  unprofitable  manner.  A  dozen  bundles  would 
hardly  weigh  a  hundred  pounds.  The  firemen  were  inces- 
santly tucking  it  under  the  boilers.  The  rapidity  with  which 
an  enormous  quantity  of  the  accumulated  grass  was  burnt  was 
a  source  of  amazement;  but  the  product  quite  as  much  so. 
A  cart-load  would  be  consumed  in  an  instant.  Pretty  fre- 
quently, the  ashes  had  to  be  raked  out,  on  account  of  their 
peculiar  character.  The  mass  had  all  the  appearance  and  gen- 
eral character  of  scoriae  from  a  blacksmith's  forge.  Where 
such  a  quantity  of  iron  could  be  found  mth  that  grass,  on  the 
extended  alluvial  plains  on  which  it  abounds,  may  exercise  the 
ingenuity  of  a  future  geologist  to  unravel.  The  operatives 
were  as  nearly  naked  as  they  could  be,  and  yet  have  a  rag  for 
decency.  Some  were  skimming  the  boiling  syrup,  in  that 
defenceless  condition.  It  was  a  hot  place  within,  as  well  as 
without ;  but  the  overseer  said  they  were  never  burned.  A 
large  well  being  sunk,  a  few  rods  from  the  river,  into  which 
the  water  percolated  laterally,  it  was  raised  by  a  stout  steam- 
pump  into  a  plastered  trough,  which  conducted  it  to  a  cane- 
field.  Some  of  it  ran  the  distance  of  four  miles.  This  estab- 
lishment was  conducted  on  strictly  scientific  principles.  The 
proprietor  is  far  enough  in  advance  of  the  ordinary  Egj-ptian 
mind  to  give  up  the  management  to  foreign  Christian  howadjis; 
and   he   is   consequently  making  not  only  more  sugar  than 


148  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

any  other  manufacturer,  but  that  of  a  superior  quality.  All 
the  Arabs  and  Turks  are  consumers  of  sugar ;  and  the  profits 
from  the  capital  invested  at  Farshoot  must  far  exceed  the 
knowledge  of  Abbas  Pasha's  government,  I  apprehend ;  because 
the  prosperity  of  an  individual  is  a  pretext,  in  a  despotism,  for 
unrighteous  exactions.  Possibly,  the  relationship  of  every  one 
of  the  sugar  manufacturers  on  the  Nile  to  himself  is  the  source 
of  their  security ;  and  it  may  also  be  possible  that  he  prefers  to 
have  them  amuse  and  profit  themselves  in  that  way,  rather 
than  to  be  meddling  with  the  politics  of  the  country,  as  all 
such  royal  relatives  are  inclined  to  do,  where  the  constitution 
is  the  will  of  the  person  who  rules  the  whole. 

We  saw  some  immensely  large  hewn  sandstones  lying  on 
the  bank,  covered  with  raised  figures  and  symbolical  charac- 
ters, —  old  Egyptian  work,  which  had  been  brought  from  the 
eastern  side,  for  purposes  of  common  stone-masonry.  They 
were  said  to  have  been  a  part  of  an  ancient  tomb.  It  was  a 
pity  to  have  such  magnificent  specimens  of  the  learning  and 
ingenuity  of  the  ancient  people  broken  up  ruthlessly  for  such 
trifling  and  ignoble  purposes.  The  masses  of  broken  bricks, 
raised  into  heaps  ten  and  twenty  feet  high,  and  strewn  over 
the  ground  for  a  whole  mile,  besides  infinite  numbers  of  broken 
pieces  imbedded  in  the  soil,  peeping  out  of  the  eroded  bank, 
show  that  human  beings  and  human  labor  have  been  here ;  but 
who  these  were,  or  in  what  age  the  indestructible  memorials  of 
their  thought  and  contrivance  were  fabricated,  is  lost  to  history. 

This  was  a  working  day.  We  came  to  an  extraordinary 
curve  of  the  river,  which  actually  carried  us  directly  north,  by 
the  compass ;  yet  the  water  comes  from  the  south,  and  our 
course  lays  in  that  direction.  This  anomaly  probably  results 
from  a  singular  geological  arrangement  of  the  rock-beds,  that 
has  played  a  fantastic  trick  with  the  channel. 


FAITH    OF   HASSAN.  149 

Nov.  29th.  Friday.  —  We  did  not  move  ten  miles,  after 
making  up  the  log,  yesterday,  in  consequence  of  the  wind  fail- 
ing. Nothing  in  sight  worthy  of  record,  nor  any  occurrence 
out  of  the  common  course.  Hassan  explained  the  nature  of  the 
Mohammedan  heaven,  which,  as  a  true  and  faithful  believer, 
he  fully  expects  to  inherit.  As  he  understands  it,  paradise  is 
a  place  where  there  are  fine  houses,  green  fields,  graceful  trees, 
in  connection  with  certain  desirable  accompaniments  to  the 
Moslem's  happiness.  A  pious  follower  of  the  prophet  is  to 
have  the  possession  of  those  comforts  and  physical  enjoyments 
forever.  The  wicked,  on  the  other  hand,  will  be  punished 
three  thousand  years,  when  Mohammed  will  look  to  it  that  all 
his  followers  on  earth  are  ultimately  liberated  from  hell,  and 
comfortably  provided  for  in  the  mansions  of  the  blessed.  A 
bad  Mussulman,  therefore,  —  one  who  neglects  his  five  daily 
prayers,  or  is  wilfully  negligent  of  other  great  and  indispensa- 
ble duties,  —  must  undergo  a  punishment,  temporarily,  to 
impress  upon  his  mind  his  own  unworthiness,  and  the  exalted 
mediatorial  influence  and  grandeur  of  the  author  of  his  faith. 
In  answer  to  the  question,  what  he  imagined  would  be  the 
destiny  of  Christians,  Hassan  said  that  Christ  would  also  look 
after  his  disciples ;  and  that  all  denominations  would  be  mar- 
shalled under  their  several  guides,  and  finally  permitted  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  same  category  of  physical  enjoyments,  in  the 
same  material  paradise. 

Contrary  to  our  expectations,  the  reis  hauled  up,  nine  miles 
below  Keneh,  at  a  place  called  Fovv,  for  the  night.  High  words 
ensued,  and  resort  was  had  to  the  wTitten  contract,  to  deter- 
mine which  party  was  in  the  right,  —  we  insisting  that  we 
would  proceed,  and  he  declaring  this  the  only  safe  position. 
Making  a  bustling  show  of  courage,  and  vociferating  that  we 
feared  nothing,  stop  where  he  might,  the  paper  was  produced. 
13* 


150  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Unfortunately,  Hassan,  gentleman  and  scholar  as  he  was,  could 
not  read ;  neither  could  the  reis.  The  document  was  written  in 
Arabic,  and  one  of  the  crew  pretended  he  could  decipher  it ; 
but,  not  being  willing  to  trust  to  his  understanding  of  it,  an 
appeal  was  made,  at  this  juncture,  to  a  resident  on  shore,  who 
was  reputed  learned  in  the  written  language.  A  circle  imme- 
diately gathered  round  the  distinguislied  being  who  was  to 
decide  an  important  question  between  the  high  contracting 
parties.  His  preparation  for  reading,  by  casting  wise,  signifi- 
cant glances  at  the  horribly  crooked  black  scrawls,  gave  him  evi- 
dent importance  in  the  estimation  of  his  bare-legged  and  bare- 
backed associates.  By  and  by,  the  mountain  moved,  when, 
lo !  he  proclaimed  that  it  was  written  so  badly  he  could  not 
read  it  at  all !  Probably  he  could  not,  had  it  been  ever  so  fair 
and  distinct.  It  reminded  me  of  the  anecdote  of  a  man  who 
called  to  purchase  a  pair  of  glasses  of  a  shop-keeper,  Avho  had 
advertised  them  under  the  name  of  helps-to-read.  He  tried  on 
the  whole  stock  in  the  shop ;  but  still  he  could  not  read  a  letter, 
simply  because  he  had  never  learned  how.  Vexed  with  disap- 
pointment, on  both  sides,  we  prepared  to  move  on,  till  a  man 
could  be  found  who  could  decipher  the  paper.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  reis  fastened  up  for  repose.  Whenever  the  beetle 
with  leather  rings  was  brought  from  its  hiding-hole,  it  was 
always  an  indication  that  a  snooze  was  contemplated.  It  was 
announced  to  him  that  the  guard  he  might  employ  would  not 
be  paid  by  us,  if  he  persisted  in  his  obstinacy.  He  chose  to 
abide  the  consequences. 

There  happened  to  be  at  Fow  quite  a  company  of  dancing- 
girls, — the  first  we  had  seen, — who  were  accompanied  by  three 
musicians,  native  performers,  whose  skill  we  had  a  desire  to 
witness.  A  grave,  white-bearded  Arab  sat  on  the  ground, 
within  a  mud-wall^d  yard,  of  small  dimensions,  with  a  kind  of 


EGYPTIAN    MUSICIANS.  151 

violin,  the  rudest  contrivance  for  extracting  music  we  had  ever 
seen ;  yet  he  produced  a  stave  or  two  of  a  melancholy  air,  sad 
as  the  face  of  grief,  and  the  least  inspiring  of  all  sounds  for 
stimulating  a  dance.     There  were  but  two  strings,  which  were 


sawed  to  and  fro  by  a  horse-hair  bow,  held  in  the  manner  of  a 
tenor  viol.  An  iron  rod  ran  through  the  instrument,  and 
served  as  a  rest  to  support  it.  One  head  was  stretched  over 
a  small  barrel,  so  that  it  had  the  shape  of  a  miniature  drum. 
One  assistant  had  a  shabby  tambourine,  which  he  beat  and  rat- 
tled rather  tenderly,  as  though  afraid  of  cracking  the  parch- 
ment. The  other  had  an  earthen  pot,  with  a  skin  stretched 
across,  —  a  very  common  drum,  and  a  general  favorite  with 
boat-crews  and  villagers.  Even  in  Cairo,  these  pot-drums  may 
be  heard  and  seen  all  over  the  city ;  and  heard,  too,  where 
they   cannot   be  seen,  —  in   the  upper  apartments  of  houses, 


152  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

where   family  entertainments  are  held,  and  jollifications  con- 
ducted, on  a  liberal  Arabic  scale. 

The  dancing-girls  retired  into  the  mud  house,  stooping  to 
enter  a  door  to  an  inner  apartment,  protected  by  a  suspended 
mat.  There  was  no  other  opening  for  the  ingress  of  light. 
Pretty  soon  they  returned,  gayly  dressed  in  a  loose  light  dress, 
—  mere  gauze  in  texture,  —  of  a  red  color,  secured  round  the 
waist  by  a  sash  of  silk,  strung  with  triangular  pieces  of  Avhite 
metallic  plates,  the  thickness  of  an  English  shilling,  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  that  jingled  and  tinkled  when  they 
moved.  In  each  hand  they  held  miniature  metallic  cymbals. 
Their  performance  consisted  altogether  in  writhing  the  body 
between  two  fixed  points,  —  the  head  being  one  and  the  feet 
the  other.  Being  barefooted,  —  no  part  of  the  exhibition  requir- 
ing the  feet  to  be  moved,  —  their  acts  were  truly  disgusting. 
Why  it  is  called  dancing  is  strange;  since  their  toes  are 
cramped  into  the  mat,  while  the  middle  of  the  body  is  swayed 
out  of  the  perpendicular,  like  a  slack  rope  between  two  points 
of  attachment.  The  sudden  jerks,  tinkle  of  the  belt  append- 
ages, and  the  castanets,  made  something  of  a  noise ;  but  there 
was  neither  music,  harmony  nor  decency,  in  any  of  it.  All 
this  transpired  in  a  donkey-yard,  which  was  filled  with  admir- 
ing spectators  of  the  village,  whose  eyes  glistened  as  they 
watched  the  bewitching  attitudes  of  the  operatic  corps,  as  much 
as  to  say,  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  It  is  perfectly  unac- 
countable how  those  girls  can  twist  the  hips  as  they  do,  or 
elevate  one  and  depress  the  other,  without  lifting  either  foot, 
or,  apparently,  shortening  their  stature,  in  effecting  a  feat  so 
extremely  difficult.  They  could  make  all  the  muscles  of  the 
back  and  loins  quiver,  independently  of  other  parts,  pre- 
cisely as  horses  give  a  vibratory  action  to  a  peculiar  muscle 
they  have  about  the  neck  and  fore-shoulder,  for  shaking  ofT 


DANCING   WOMEN.  153 

flies.  They  would  start  by  each  other,  change  places,  writhe 
and  twist  a  while,  and  return  to  the  first  position.  All  these 
antics  excited  the  liveliest  emotions  among  the  lookers-on,  of 
native  blood.  The  admirers  increased  as  the  play  continued, 
till  a  little  donkey,  quietly  grinding  millet-stalks  at  my  back, 
was  pushed  against  me,  Avith  a  force  that  obliged  me  to 
seek  another  sitting-place.  It  was  quite  as  agreeable  to  be  at 
the  ass'  heels  as  in  contact  with  the  rabble,  whose  leisure  mo- 
ments are  not  unfrequently  devoted  to  hunting  vermin.  There 
was  an  end  to  the  show,  as  to  all  entertainments.  Civilized 
showmen  take  the  fee  in  advance ;  but  the  Egyptians  ask  it 
at  the  close.  Backshiesh  began  to  ring  in  our  ears;  so  we 
paid  our  assessment,  and  left.  These  females  were  far  better- 
looking  than  the  native  women.  They  were  all  young ;  and 
it  does  not  occur  to  me  that  I  have  ever  seen  one  who  could 
have  been  more  than  one  or  two  and  twenty.  Their  features 
were  good,  teeth  white,  skin  yellowish,  hair  black,  long  and 
oily,  and  their  facial  expression  that  of  the  Malay.  They  travel 
from  one  settlement  to  another,  often  constructing  their  own 
dwellings;  and,  for  their  performances,  take  grain,  fresh  vege- 
tables, and  all  the  common  garden  productions. 

Nov.  SOtk.  Saturday.  —  When  the  reis  sent  afl  for  money 
to  pay  the  guard,  —  who  had  passed  the  night  in  smoking,  as 
though  the  fumes  of  tobacco  would  keep  off  robbers,  —  nothing 
was  given ;  and  he  was  informed  that  he  might  go  or  remain,  as 
suited  his  pleasure.  He  had  stopped  on  his  own  account,  and 
not  ours ;  —  hence  he  might  pursue  any  course  he  liked,  till  the 
day  of  reckoning.  Soon  after,  the  boat  moved.  Walking,  at 
an  early  hour,  several  miles  on  the  western  side,  in  advance, 
—  passing  by  a  succession  of  millet-fields,  in  different  stages  of 
gro\vth,  —  I  saw  several  doum  palms,  laden  with  fruit.  The 
leaves  are  long,  spear-shaped,  with  serrated  teeth  and  prickers 


154  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

on  the  edges,  which  would  effectually  prevent  any  one  from 
climbing-  into  their  tops.  The  nuts  are  cocoa-nuts  in  miniature. 
The  trees  were  of  the  size  of  apple-trees.  Some  describe  them 
as  beautiful,  in  their  frizzled  aspect  of  defiance  ;  but,  to  me,  they 
were  ugly,  motionless  things,  without  a  single  quality  to  compare 
with  the  rich,  soft  foliage  of  trees  in  the  temperate  zones.  For 
the  first  time,  I  saw  long  narrow  strips  of  short  velvety  grass, 
resembling  lawns  in  Scotland,  fed  down  by  sheep ;  strongly 
bringing  to  recollection  the  short  grass  door-yards  in  front  of  a 
comfortable  old  New  England  farm-house,  protected  from  the 
road  by  a  slat  fence.  Saw  a  drove  of  sleek,  well-fed  cattle, 
with  high  humps  over  the  fore-shoulder.  They  had  been 
driven  —  we  understood  from  one  of  the  drovers  —  a  thousand 
miles,  following  the  Nile,  somewhere  above  Dongola.  At 
Geezeh,  where  droves  are  concentrated  for  sale,  I  had  previously 
seen  the  same  breed;  but  they  were  lean,  weak,  and  poor  in  flesh, 
from  the  long  journey.  Fields  of  halfar-grass,  presumed  to  be 
a  hundred  acres  in  extent,  on  excellent  land,  that  would  yield 
any  kind  of  grain,  were  noticed;  which  shows  the  population  is 
sparse,  and  that  the  soil  is  neglected,  because  there  are  no 
laborers.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  desolation  is  com- 
mencing a  triumphant  reign.  The  sand  is  gradually  creeping 
down,  driving  man,  and  even  wild  animals,  from  its  sterile 
embrace.  Wild  geese  were  increasingly  plenty ;  and  crows, 
too,  of  a  fawn-color.  Lizards  darted  hither  and  thither;  but 
the  serpents  kept  out  of  sight :  we  only  saw  the  tail  of  one,  as 
it  was  crawling  into  a  hole.  Small  scaled  fish,  four  inches 
long,  —  fine  eating,  —  are  common.  They  are  caught  at  the 
mouth  of  canals,  by  holding  baskets,  as  the  water  falls  to  a 
lower  level.  A  large,  soft  fish,  the  size  of  a  cod  of  ten  pounds' 
weight,  and  resembling  the  catfish  of  the  Mississippi,  is  fre- 
quently caught.     Fish  seem  to  swarm ;  but  the  apparatus  for 


RUINS   OF    DENDLRA.  155 

taking  them  is  too  poor  for  much  success.  We  saw  a  large 
field  under  water,  retained  from  the  overflow  at  high  Nile, 
that  was  being  drained,  by  removing  the  mud  barrier  at  one 
extremity.  A  strainer  caught  all  the  fish  which  followed,  a 
few  of  which  were  purchased  for  dinner.  At  the  great  Lake 
of  Harlajm,  which  engineers  were  draining  by  steam-pumps, 
when  I  was  in  Holland,  they  had  a  strainer  placed  where  all 
the  water  sucked  up  into  the  pumps  was  discharged  into  a 
canal,  and  thus  immense  quantities  of  fish  were  taken  that 
might  otherwise  have  escaped. 

Dendera,  Dec.  1.  —  This  is  another  epoch  in  life  ;  for  I  have 
been  gratified  with  a  satisfactory  examination  of  the  great  and 
celebrated  ruins  of  the  sacred  edifices  of  Dendera,  opposite  the 
miserable  town  of  Keneh. 

After  going  over  and  through  the  interior  of  three  excavated 
temples,  our  curiosity  was  whetted  for  further  developments, — 
since  it  is  strongly  probable  that  there  is  more  concealed  than 
has  yet  been  brought  to  light.  These  massive,  splendid  build- 
ings, —  surpassing  in  architecture  anything  Europe  ever  had, — 
are  not  always  appreciated  by  those  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to 
view  them.  The  pillars  on  which  the  flat  roof  rests  are  mas- 
sive and  magnificent  beyond  all  I  have  yet  seen.  What  men, 
in  conception,  and  in  execution,  too,  those  old  temple-builders 
must  have  been  !  These  great,  these  surprising  achievements, 
of  human  skill  and  industry,  —  buried  for  one  or  two  thousand 
years,  for  aught  that  is  known  to  the  contrary,  —  have  been 
partially  exposed,  by  clearing  away  the  sand  that  encircled 
them.  The  principal  edifice  is  cleared  of  rubbish  within,  which 
allows  of  a  pretty  free  exploration  among  the  massive,  lofty, 
hieroglyphically-covered  columns.  Even  the  walls  are  covered 
in  the  same  manner,  with  raised  figures,  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling  overhead;  and  the  by  passage-ways,  and  those  secret 


156  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT, 

retreats  that  were  only  accessible  to  the  sly  old  priests  who 
lived  within  those  sacred  enclosures.  It  is  difficult  to  realize 
how  the  means  could  have  been  procured  for  meeting  the 
enormous  expense  of  half  a  dozen  of  the  pillars,  aside  from 
all  the  rest  of  the  temple.  Even  the  reputed  wealth  of  Croesus 
would  have  been  exhausted  in  simply  sculpturing  the  walls, 
independently  of  quarrying  and  transporting  the  astonishing 
blocks  of  which  the  fabric  was  composed.  No  description 
could  do  justice  to  those  inimitable  specimens  of  artistical 
skill.  I  have  already  seen  enough  of  architecture  in  Egypt 
to  convince  me  that  four  thousand  years  to  come  will  not 
produce  their  equal.  One  of  the  striking  facts  to  be  espec- 
ially remembered,  in  explaining  the  manner  of  temple-building 
in  this  country,  is  this :  A  stone  in  a  wall  has  a  hammered 
face  inside  and  out,  and  is,  invariably,  just  thick  enough  to 
make  the  face  of  the  apartment,  where  it  is  covered  with  hiero- 
glyphical  figures,  generally  in  relief.  Some  of  the  temples  are 
sculptured  on  both  sides ;  therefore  there  is  no  plastering,  no 
wood,  no  small  stones ;  but  enormous  ones, — far,  very  far,  supe- 
rior in  size  to  any  used  in  modern  structures.  This  was  the 
celebrated  building  in  which  the  French  savans,  who  accompa- 
nied Napoleon  to  Egypt,  discovered  the  unique  planisphere,  — 
one  of  the  main  objects  of  attraction  at  the  public  library  in  the 
rue  Richelieu,  at  Paris.  I  had  seen  it  there ;  but  should  have 
been  quite  overcome  v?ith  surprise  to  have  been  told  that  I 
should  view  the  ceiling  from  whence  the  glorious  trophy  was 
wi'enched.  There  are  millions  of  figures,  representing  gods 
and  men;  some  with  dog's  heads,  and  others  having  hawk's 
bills.  It  would  be  absurd  to  waste  a  moment  in  particularizing 
the  high  finish  and  exquisite  groupings  of  the  multitudes  of 
figures  and  characters,  which,  could  they  be  translated,  would 
greatly  humble  our  pride,  and  lead  to  the  conviction  that  we 


RTJIN'5    OF    DEXDEEA. 


157 


are  far  from  being  as  wise  as  imagined.  At  some  past  period, 
an  attempt  has  been  made  to  obliterate  the  largest  of  the  sculp- 
tures, by  picking  them  over  with  stone  hammers  or  chisels. 
"Whoever  undertook  the  task  doubtless  became  weary  of  the 
work,  and  left  it  incomplete.  His  memory  would  be  anathe- 
matized forever,  were  he  known,  for  his  vandalism.  Tradition 
imputes  all  these,  and  similar  defacements,  to  the  Christians. 
When  they  first  began  to  collect  about  these  ruins,  they  felt  a 
holy  zeal  inspiring  them  to  obliterate  all  the  memorials  of  the 
devil,  which  these  were  assumed  to  be.  Thanks  to  the  build- 
ers, their  faithfulness  in  whatever  they  undertook  secured 
enough  —  broken,  buried,  bruised  and  crushed,  as  it  is  —  to 
establish  their  fame  imperishably.  They  intended  to  transmit 
their  discoveries  to  all  future  time ;  but  the  language,  and  the 
subjects  recorded,  are  both  lost  in  the  revolution  of  empires. 


TEMPLE  OF  DESDEBA. 


Rain  seldom  falls   here,  say  the  people  of  Upper  Egypt. 
When  the  great  temple  was  built,  it  appears  that  rain  fell  copi- 
14 


158  A    PILGBIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

ously  sometimes,  from  the  circumstance  that  the  roof,  though 
technically  flat,  was  a  series  of  inclined  planes,  draining  the 
water  in  eave-troughs ;  and  from  thence  it  was  conducted  into 
tubes,  that  terminated  in  the  mouths  of  four  couchant  lions, 
projecting  from  the  walls  as  far  as  necessary  to  expose  the  fore- 
paws  and  shoulders,  —  a  grand  design.  The  holy  of  holies  — 
a  distinct  and  elaborately-finished  enclosure,  in  the  centre  of  a 
large  square  apartment,  beyond  all  others,  from  which  we  saw 
the  secret  outlets  up  between  the  walls  —  was  of  itself  a  won- 
der. Hundreds  of  generations  may  have  been  born,  and  have 
died,  at  Dendera,  who  never  passed  the  sacred  threshold  of  the 
mysterious  habitation  of  Horus.  It  was  designed  to  be  arti- 
ficially lighted,  as  there  are  no  windows,  and  but  a  single  door. 
Neither  are  there  an}'  windows  in  the  walls  that  surround  it. 
The  plan  is  imitated  in  modern  prisons,  where  cells  are  placed 
in  the  middle  of  a  hall,  about  which  the  ofScers  can  freely  walk. 

I  am  fully  aware  of  the  impression  that  Egj'ptian  sculpture 
was  declining  when  these  beautiful  creations  rose  into  existence; 
yet  they  are  so  far  from  being  inferior,  as  to  challenge  the 
whole  world  to  match  them,  with  all  the  appliances  of  modern 
art. 

Xo  localit}^  could  have  been  more  charming  than  the  one 
occupied  by  these  temples,  were  the  landscape  as  rich  and 
verdant  as  when  their  foundations  were  laid ;  but  the  insidious 
sands,  like  the  stealthy  approaches  of  a  boa  constrictor,  sud- 
denly sprang  upon  their  beautiful  victims ;  and  now,  all  desolate 
and  dreary,  their  fractured  and  battered  cornices  just  peep  out, 
to  indicate  where  the  traveller  is  to  look  for  the  buried  wonders 
of  a  former  race  of  men,  whose  names,  whose  system  of  govern- 
ment, whose  acts,  and  whose  historj'-,  are  alike  conjectural,  and 
will,  we  have  reason  to  fear,  defy  the  scrutiny  of  this  or  coming 
ages  to  expound. 


UCIXS   OF   DEKDEKA.  159 

Whenever  these  vast  constructions,  so  grand,  yet  imperfectly 
understood  in  their  details,  are  unburied,  —  as  they  doubtless 
will  be,  at  a  future  period,  —  by  some  literary  adventurer,  who 
has  a  fortune  to  devote  to  the  purpose,  he  will  achieve  an 
enviable  immortality  by  their  strange  developments;  and  it 
is  not  a  vagary  of  a  distempered  imagination  to  anticipate  that, 
at  Ifendera  and  its  associate  ruins,  the  very  implements  of 
the  laborers,  the  plans  of  the  architect,  the  records  of  a  secretive 
priesthood,  golden  emblems  of  their  offices,  and  facts  illustrative 
of  the  early  history  of  the  human  race,  may  be  the  rich  reward 
of  explorations.  A  village  was  actuall}'  erected  on  the  roofs  of 
these  massive  temples :  the  remains  of  brick  houses,  two  stories 
high ;  fractured  bricks  ;  stone,  rough  and  quarried ;  broken  pot- 
tery, with  all  the  accumulations  and  the  lumber  of  centuries, 
was  heaped  upon  those  strongly-framed  tops,  which  the  inhab- 
itants may  have  mistaken  for  solid  rock.  There  they  lived 
and  died ;  there  their  graves  may  be  recognized ;  and  there  the 
shattered  renruiants  of  their  dwellings  may  be  seen.  And  yet 
they  never  seem  to  have  had  an  idea  of  the  vastness,  beauty, 
wonder  and  marvels,  over  which  they  passed  their  days.  The 
sand,  and  debris  of  men  and  animals,  with  the  warfare  of  the 
elements,  concealed  all  these  mighty  things  to  the  deptli  of 
eighty  feet  below  the  original  level  of  the  ground.  Wh)'  they 
abandoned  the  place,  is  quite  as  extraordinary  as  that  they  ever 
occupied  it. 

It  is  a  full  mile  from  the  ruins  to  the  river,  —  a  large  allu- 
vian  plain  intervening,  which  has  probably  been  deposited  by 
the  river,  since  Dendera  was  abandoned  by  its  primitive  wor- 
shippers. There  is  a  gateway  of  a  necropolis,  —  massive  and 
superb;  a  mere  remnant,  however,  without  a  stone  of  the 
wall  that  it  was  once  connected  with.  Through  it  splendid 
processions  had  moved;  royalty  and  prelatical  dignity,  with 


160  A    PILCraMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

all  that  was  imposing  in  the  ceremonial  worship  of  Eg)''ptian 
divinities,  had  often  Ijeen  seen  there,  while  awe-stricken  thou- 
sands were  looking  on  from  surrounding  heights,  to  scan  the 
majesty  of  the  show.  Human  bones  may  be  carried  off  by 
ship-loads  from  Dendera,  whenever  they  are  in  demand.  The 
ancient  population  must  have  been  dense,  from  the  multitude 
of  graves.  There  is  no  parallel  in  Europe  to  the  accumula- 
tion of  dead  bodies  in  the  ancient  burying-fields  of  Egypt. 

After  having  completed  our  observations,  and  made  more 
notes  than  will  ever  be  referred  to,  we  returned  to  the  boat. 
There  we  were  greeted  by  a  raft  of  earthen  pots,  an  acre  square, 
manned  as  I  have  seen  rafts  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  on  the 
Rhine,  in  Switzerland.  Our  crew  had  a  merry-making  to-day. 
To  the  monotonous  music  of  the  zummarah,  and  the  accompan- 
iment of  the  earthen-pot  drum,  one  of  their  vulgar  dances  was 
performed,  with  all  its  offensiveness.  Only  one  took  the  deck 
floor  at  a  time ;  but  the  remainder  participated  cordially  in  the 
festivity,  by  clapping  their  hands  in  unison,  and  joining  in  a 
line  of  chorus.  Ethiopian  serenaders  are  altogether  beyond 
them,  in  every  respect,  while  the  American  Indian  excels  both 
in  dignity  and  propriety  of  conduct.  The  noise  and  antics 
were  execrable,  and  immoral  in  their  tendency,  giving  evidence 
of  a  corruption  festering  still  deeper  in  their  natures. 

It  may  be  well  to  mention  here,  out  of  place  as  it  may  be, 
that,  while  groping  under  the  great  Dendera  temple  with  a 
candle,  hundreds  of  little  masses  w^ere  pendant  from  the  under 
side  of  the  roof,  resembling  the  rudiments  of  a  wasp's  nest; 
but,  on  minute  inspection,  they  turned  out  to  be  stalactites  of 
saltpetre. 

With  the  approach  of  night,  the  wind,  our  solace  and  power 
for  pursuing  the  way,  quite  failed ;  so  we  hauled  up  to  the 
bank  again,  brought   out   the   beetle,  and   fastened   to  a  spot 


AN    ARAB    GATHERING.  161 

where  earthen  jars  are  manufactured,  and  made  into  rafts,  for 
down  river  trade.  Some  of  them  were  of  incredible  dimen- 
sions. At  a  distance,  we  heard  the  unmusical  thumping  of  a 
tom-tom.  With  several  of  the  crew,  Avho  were  fond  of  an 
adventure,  —  all  of  whom  armed  themselves  with  stalks  of  the 
date-tree  leaf,  one  bearing  a  lantern,  — we  followed  the  sound, 
which  led  us  to  an  Arab  village,  more  than  a  mile  distant. 
Just  as  we  reached  the  lane  that  led  up  to  where  numerous 
heads  could  be  faintly  perceived  in  outline,  we  were  all  tripped 
up  by  cords,  stretched  near  the  ground,  to  which  donkeys  were 
hampered.  On  getting  out  of  the  tethers,  we  were  assailed  by 
a  squadron  of  furious  dogs.  When  they  were  disposed  of,  we 
came  into  the  midst  of  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  squatting 
Arabs,  at  the  foot  of  a  little  box  of  a  mosque.  They  were  list- 
ening to  a  monotonous  recitative  of  a  performer,  who  added  to 
the  zest  of  the  entertainment  by  a  hearty  thump  upon  a  tam- 
bourine, at  the  termination  of  each  sentence.  The  recitation 
was  of  a  sober,  mournful  character,  from  appearances,  as  the 
spectators  were  not  excited  by  it,  but  rather  depressed,  if  the 
face  was  an  indication  of  the  workings  within.  A  second  man 
next  came  before  the  audience,  squatted  into  a  theatrical  posi- 
tion, and  exhibited  his  skill.  Some  of  the  audience  joined  in  a 
chorus,  occasionally.  We  were  seated  on  the  edge  of  a  water- 
trough.  The  females,  after  watching  our  movements  with 
severe  scrutiny,  through  their  veils,  scampered  simultaneously 
off  into  the  darkness  beyond.  Sheik  Abdallah,  lord  of  the 
settlement,  —  a  noble-bearded  specimen  of  Arabian  develop- 
ment,—  ordered  coffee,  and  we  frequently  received  a  pipe  from 
himself  and  bis  honored  associates.  A  whiff  was  taken,  the 
mouth-piece  wiped,  and  returned,  with  mutual  salaams,  of  the 
most  approved  inclinations  of  the  body.  When  we  smoked, 
the  ladies  gathered  nearer,  as  though  that  act  were  an  indica- 
14* 


162  A    riLGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

tion  of  our  haruilessness.  For  the  sake  of  having  a  light,  to 
see  their  guests,  a  messenger  was  sent  into  the  mosque,  to  bring 
out  a  glass  lamp.  They  all  stared  at  us  to  their  hearts'  con- 
tent. A  song  was  extemporaneously  composed,  on  our  auspi- 
cious visit,  for  which  the  tambourine  was  passed,  to  receive  the 
price.  Amid  the  howl  of  dogs,  the  braying  of  an  ass,  the  low 
obeisance  of  the  consequentials,  the  shy  glances  of  the  females, 
and  the  curiosity  of  the  children,  —  who  may  never  before  have 
seen  howadjis,  —  we  departed.  The  sheik  sent  three  of  his 
retainers,  as  a  guard  of  honor ;  a  genteel  way  of  getting  back- 
shiesh.  On  the  way  back,  the  frogs  were  peeping,  precisely 
after  the  New  England  manner  about  the  middle  of  May. 

Dec.  2d.  Mo7iday.  —  Current  too  strong  for  the  feeble  wind, 
and  no  progress  made  to-day,  worth  remembering.  We  are 
reputed  to  be  within  eighteen  miles  of  Thebes,  and,  therefore, 
feel  a  prompting  curiosity  to  reach  it  speedily.  The  boat  was 
urged  along  by  poles,  —  a  slow  process  for  persons  in  haste. 
While  breakfasting,  an  old,  smoking,  leather-faced  Arab  was 
discovered,  forward  the  camboose,  who  was  announced  by 
Hassan  as  captain  of  the  guard  at  Luxor.  Coffee  was  ordered 
the  distinguished  visiter;  but  he  had  hardly  swallowed  it, 
before  a  second  captain  of  the  guard  popped  up  from  behind 
the  rubbish.  Both  came  on  board  in  the  night.  They  com- 
menced shoviring  certificates  of  travellers,  testifying  to  their 
good  properties  as  guides  in  the  Theban  temples.  This  suffi- 
ciently explained  their  business,  and  opened  our  eyes  to  their 
character.  They  had  gone  down  stream,  to  intercept  ascend- 
ing boats,  as  pilots  go  far  out  in  the  bay  for  ships.  Orders 
were  given  to  cut  the  great  men  off  from  a  dinner,  which  forth- 
with led  to  their  exit  into  a  village.  Up  and  down  river,  wan- 
derers are  accustomed  to  present  themselves,  in  the  capacity 
of  great   somebodies  to  the  pasha,  for  which  coffee  and  back- 


ARAB    LOVE-SONGS.  163 

shiesh,  without  stint  or  limitation,  are  solicited.  They  are  all 
impostors,  and  two-thirds  of  them  vagabonds.  Nile  dragomen 
are  deeper  in  the  plot  of  encumbering  travellers  with  assist- 
ants than  is  generally  suspected.  They  are  often  in  collusion 
with  these  captains  of  moonshine,  with  whom  they  probably 
divide  whatever  they  may  raise  through  false  pretences.  There 
are  neither  guards  nor  guides  at  Thebes,  except  those  volunta- 
rily assuming  the  office,  for  their  individual  profit. 

Passed  a  town  of  pigeon-houses,  —  Negade,  —  where  a 
Roman  Catholic  cross  is  elevated  above  them  all,  showing  that 
a  few  Catholics  have  a  foothold.  Mounds  of  water-jars  were 
to  be  seen;  enough,  when  broken,  —  as  they  will  be,  —  for  a 
mound  foundation  of  a  rival  settlement.  It  was  extremely 
warm,  to-day ;  my  dress  is  summer  clothing,  without  stockings. 
A  poor  Arab  fellah  consulted  me  about  a  contused  eye,  injured 
seven  months  ago.  He  brought  two  ears  of  roasted  corn  as  a 
fee  !  He  appeared  quite  discouraged,  when  informed  the  organ 
could  not  be  restored.  Another  had  a  fixed  pain  in  the  small 
of  the  back,  the  cause  of  which  was  apparent,  but  beyond  my 
control.  The  crew,  with  some  of  their  visiters  from  Thebes, 
and  the  dragoman,  have  had  a  world  of  fun.  Alick,  the  ora- 
tor, the  cleverest  of  the  sailors,  and  the  most  trust\vorthy,  gave 
out  a  line,  which  all  sang  together,  whether  they  had  musical 
voices  or  not.  The  air  was  always  the  same,  sung,  or  played 
on  an  instrument.  Arabs  are  grown-up  children,  amused  with 
trifles  wholly  beneath  the  notice  of  a  tenth-rate  intellect. 
Alick's  song,  when  translated,  ran  thus  :  — 

Had  I  a  cocoa-nut  hooker, 
rnicd  with  gold, 
And  .1  golden  knife, 
I  •would  give  it  all  to  her 
Who  is  mv  sweetheart. 


164  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO    KOVPT. 

When  thrown  into  another  form,  it  becomes  a  little  more  har- 
monious :  — 

Had  I  a  golden  hooker, 

With  precious  jewels  set. 
All  should  go  to  her 

Who  comes  within  my  net. 
Or  had  I  other  riches,  — 

Had  I  a  golden  knife, 
An  amber  pipe,  beneath  the  shade,  — 

No  joy  without  a  wife. 

These  are  rare  examples  of  love-songs,  among  a  people  who 
purchase  their  helpmeets  as  they  do  other  commodities.  Even 
then,  their  faces  are  carefully  concealed  till  the  contract  is 
sealed.  However  faithful  they  may  resolve  to  be,  a  divorce 
may  follow,  the  day  after  the  wedding,  without  their  being 
compelled  to  assign  a  reason.  The  Koran  is  indulgent  to  its 
friends. 

Dec.  Sd.  Tuesday.  —  Thebes  seen  faintly  in  the  distance,  on 
the  Libyan  side  of  the  river,  under  the  shadow  of  high  lime- 
stone ledges,  rough  and  jagged.  The  fellahs,  females  and  all, 
are  precisely,  in  feature  and  costume,  as  they  are  in  Cairo. 
Customs  are  unchanging;  empires  rise  and  fall,  but  turbans 
never.  The  mud  presents  different  densities,  and  assumes  the 
forms  of  the  limestone  strata,  in  cracking  into  blocks  very  sim- 
ilar in  appearance  and  dimensions.  Language,  dress,  customs, 
and  personal  appearance,  are  here  precisely  what  I  found  them 
at  Alexandria.  The  fields  change  oftener  than  society.  Women 
are  all  destined  to  carry  water  upon  their  heads  till  they  yield 
up  the  ghost.  I  have  again  examined  the  strata  of  mud  on  the 
west  bank,  deposited  at  different  epochs,  modified  by  pressure, 
under  the  inundation,  and  by  the  infiltration  of  foreign  materi- 
als held  in  solution.     The  stratification  of  the  limestone  in  the 


EFFECT    OF    TRAVELLERS    UPON    EGYPTIAN    SOCIETY.  165 

mountain  ranges  or  river  barrier  was  brought  about,  perhaps, 
in  the  same  way.  They  were  unquestionably  formed  by  a 
slowly-retiring  sea,  or  by  oceanic  currents,  charged  with  the 
materials  of  which  they  are  composed,  and  subsequently  ele- 
vated by  a  mighty  subterranean  force.  Passed  an  Arab  who 
was  digging  post-holes,  to  set  up  a  shadoof.  The  digging 
was  entirely  accomplished  with  his  bare  hands,  without  a  frag- 
ment of  a  tool.  He  was  thus  reduced  to  the  level  of  a  burrow- 
ing animal.  I  have  not  seen  a  shovel  above  Cairo ;  nor  is  it 
probable  there  is  one  belonging  to  a  farmer  in  the  valley,  from 
that  city  to  the  first  cataract. 

By  some  necromancy,  one  of  the  self-created  guards,  ejected 
sans  ceremonie,  yesterday,  reappeared.  A  lizard  was  discov- 
ered, running  up  the  bank ;  and  the  great  guard-man  beckoned 
for  Mr.  Warren's  gun,  with  which  he  killed  it.  Its  tongue  was 
forked,  and  very  long,  —  indicating  that  it  lived  on  insects. 
The  Theban  ruins,  fortunately,  are  less  defiled  than  some 
others  by  stables,  mud-hovels,  turkey-roosts  and  pigeon-houses. 
The  government  —  feeble  and  wretched  as  it  is  —  ought  to 
be  inspired  with  a  desire  to  preserve  those  curiosities  in  art, 
which  still  give  to  Egy^pt  a  glory  and  historical  renown  that 
outweigh  the  archgeologicai  attractions  of  all  other  countries. 
They  are  the  life-blood  of  the  pasha's  viceroyalty ;  for,  who 
would  subject  themselves  to  discomforts,  tediousness  of  progress, 
impositions,  and  expense,  to  explore  the  country,  were  the 
ruins  coeval  with  the  Pharaohs  no  longer  there  ?  Travellers 
—  few  as  they  are  —  exert  a  civilizing  influence  over  the 
benighted  regions  of  Mohammedan  darkness ;  and  science,  the 
mechanical  arts  and  modern  suggestions,  are  imperceptibly 
introduced,  to  improve,  elevate  and  promote,  national  prosper- 
ity. It  is  not  at  all  probable  that  his  highness  cares  a  fig  for 
civilization ;  nor  are  there  reasons  for  suspecting  that  he  sees 


166  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

an  inch  beyond  the  present  political  degradation  of  his  people. 
There  is  no  future  to  him ;  no  prospective  encouragements  of 
improvement.  The  maxims  of  the  East  are  at  variance  with 
the  laws  of  Christianity,  and,  therefore,  are  eminently  selfish ; 
and  the  policy  of  every  ruler  is  to  get  all  he  can,  regardless  of 
the  wants,  necessities,  miseries,  or  claims,  of  his  subjects. 

Hauled  up  at  Luxor.  I  was  in  a  state  of  ecstatic  bewilder- 
ment, at  the  grandeur  and  unsuspected  majesty  of  the  remains. 
The  obelisk  in  front  of  the  more  than  half-buried  temple  is 
similar  to  Cleo^Datra's  Needle,  and  is  as  perfect  as  on  the  day 
of  its  erection.  Its  sides  are  polished  to  the  s)noothness  of 
glass ;  the  angles  are  sharp,  and  the  hieroglyphics  bold  and 
distinct.  Those  stolen  monoliths  set  up  in  Paris  and  Constan- 
tinople —  which  I  have  examined  —  are  rough,  in  comparison. 
Perhaps  twenty  or  thirty  feet  of  the  base  —  like  the  feet  and 
bodies  of  the  sitting  statues,  behind,  concealed  by  millions  of 
cart-loads  of  filth  —  may  be  in  excellent  preservation.  Karnak, 
a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  looms 
up,  with  the  imposing  features  of  a  great  fortress.  Thebes  is 
directly  opposite  Luxor,  on  the  Libyan  side.  When  the  sun 
went  down,  this  evening,  behind  the  serrated  mountains  to  the 
west  of  Thebes,  the  splendor  of  its  pure  rays  was  glorious. 
We  stopped  just  long  enough  to  run  through  the  temple,  and 
among  the  columns  of  Luxor;  for  the  wind  sprang  up  sud- 
denly, and  we  sped  on  our  Avay  still  further  up  the  river. 
We  had  resolved  to  improve  every  blast,  to  hasten  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  voyage  to  the  first  cataract;  knowing  it  to  be 
an  easy  matter  to  float  back  with  the  current.  And  it  was 
understood,  too,  that  whatever  was  missed  should  be  investi- 
gated on  our  return,  when  there  would  be  no  anxiety  in  regard 
to  movements  preying  upon  us. 

Guides  flocked  down  to  the  boat  in    shoals,  annoying   us 


CARGO    OF    SLAVE-GIELS.  167 

excessively  with  their  importunities,  and  requests  to  have  their 
quires  of  recommendations  read.  They  were  in  the  way,  go 
where  we  would ;  nor  could  they  be  shaken  off.  Gentlemen 
who  carry  guides  with  them  all  the  way  from  ]\Ialta  or  Alexan- 
dria are  to  be  commiserated.  It  is  emphatically  carrying  coals 
to  Newcastle.  Passed  a  gayly-rigged  and  admirably-manned 
boat,  belonging  to  a  son  of  that  old  fighting  monster,  Ibrahim 
Pasha.  Of  these  he  left  three,  by  different  mothers,  of  three 
different  colors, —  namely,  black,  white,  and  brown  !  We  passed 
a  slave-boat,  a|so,  with  a  stolen  cargo  of  girls,  from  some  part  of 
the  interior  of  Africa,  quite  beyond  the  explorations  of  any 
traveller.  They  were  the  blackest  of  black  negroes,  and  had 
beautifully  white,  even  teeth,  with  their  hair  —  frizzled  into 
kinks  —  braided,  as  near  as  they  could  do  it,  into  little  whip- 
cord masses,  sticking  out  at  all  known  mathematical  angles. 
A  mere  remnant  of  a  coarse  Arab  blanket,  held  together  by 
their  hands,  covered  them.  They  had  bracelets  on  their  wrists, 
trinkets  suspended  from  their  foreheads,  and  perhaps  some  may 
have  had  ear-rings.  Wretched  as  they  were,  the  love  of  jew- 
elry, or  those  affixes  which  even  civilized  females  fancy 
enhances  their  charms,  was  predominant  with  those  poor, 
ignorant,  abused  creatures,  who  were  en  roitte  to  a  market,  to 
be  sold  as  beasts  are  in  a  pen,  from  whence  they  enter  a  state 
of  bondage  from  which  death  alone  can  emancipate  them.  A 
few  boys  may  have  been  with  them ;  but  they  are  not  so  profit- 
able as  females,  and  therefore  the  latter  are  always  preferred, 
because,  in  every  Mussulman  town,  they  quickly  have  a  pur- 
chaser. They  laughed  in  concert  at  our  —  to  them  —  odd 
costume, — especially  our  hats,  which  were  quite  as  absurd  to 
them  as  theirs  to  us.  Their  smoking  masters  were  squatting 
about  the  deck,  enjoying  the  spectacle,  in  common  with  their 
cargo. 


168 


A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 


In  all  countries  I  have  visited,  —  among  savages,  the  demi- 
civilized,  and  the  most  refined,  —  woman  adorns  herself,  if 
possible.  It  is  inbred ;  and  all  the  efforts  made  to  bring  their 
vanity,  in  this  respect,  into  subjection  to  reason,  by  preach- 
ing the  beautiful  sentiment  of  the  poet  who  could  not  afford  to 
buy  diamonds  for  his  wife,  "When  unadorned,  adorned  the 
most,"  has,  in  no  instance,  overcome  the  inherent  love  of  orna- 
ment. 

While  stepping  over  and  between  the  nuisances  collected 
round  the  pillars  in  Luxor,  in  a  narrow  passage,  I  came  sud- 
denly upon  a  female,  seated  on  a  pile  of  filth,  and  leaning  her 
back  against  a  superb  column,  who  was  singularly  bedecked 
and  ornamented.     The  most  prominent  of  all  her  jewels  was 


a  brass  hoop,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  strung  with 
a  variety  of  colored  glass  beads,  and  which  was  suspended  from 
the  right  wing  of  her  nose.    Inconvenient  as  it  must  have  been, 


NILE    SAILORS.  169 

had  she  not  heen  thoroughly  convinced  that  it  heightened  her 
personal  charms,  it  would  never  have  been  tolerated  a  single 
moment.  There  I  left  her,  satisfied  that  the  dignity  of  her 
position,  and  the  tnsteful  arrangement  of  her  treasures,  must 
have  raised  her  to  an  enviable  distinction  in  the  estimation  of 
the  vulgarians  of  her  own  sex,  who  could  not  indulge  them- 
selves with  a  hoop  in  their  noses. 

One  boat,  only,  laid  at  Thebes,  on  our  arrival,  controlled  by 
a  solitary,  a  Col.  Measures,  of  the  British  armj'^,  who  arrived 
the  day  before,  and  was  to  leave  immediately.  At  his  request, 
we  took  some  salt  on  board,  for  a  friend  at  Assuan,  the  ancient 
Syene. 

Dec.  4:tk.  Wednesday.  —  We  had  nothing  to  do  but  gaze  at 
whatever  we  passed.  Much  is  to  be  learned  by  scrutinizing 
the  faces  of  the  men  and  women  we  meet,  —  the  descendants 
of  those  mighty  ones  who  preceded  us  on  the  old  beaten  track 
of  nations.  Writing  becomes  extremely  irksome,  even  to  keep 
up  my  diary. 

Cheered  by  the  growing  prospect  of  a  good  run  through  the 
last  night,  the  wind  began  to  roar  across  the  broad  plain,  which 
so  frightened  the  reis  that  he  made  fast  with  the  pin  and  beetle, 
in  spite  of  our  remonstrances,  Nile  sailors,  in  our  experience, 
are  notorious  cowards.  They  might  accomplish  a  voyage  in 
much  less  time,  had  they  common  resolution.  It  is  their  way 
to  be  as  long  as  they  can  in  doing  everything;  for  time  is  of 
no  account  with  them.  Passed  another  sugar-making  estab- 
lishment, in  process  of  erection,  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Thebes,  owned  by  the  notable  who  went  by  us  in  the  gay  boat. 
Being  a  relative  of  the  pasha,  he  was  presented  with  the  plan- 
tation and  the  neighboring  village,  from  whence  he  will  force 
laborers  to  do  his  bidding.  A  fine  harem  is  being  finished, 
near  by.  It  is  the  first  care  of  an  Egyptian  gentleman  to  have 
15 


170  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

a  well-stocked  household.  His  influence  and  standing  is  inti- 
mately connected  with  a  flourishing  domestic  establishment, 
if  we  are  to  believe  what  is  stated  by  persons  familiar  with  the 
organization  of  society,  in  connection  with  what  is  seen.  He 
is  a  single  man,  but  acting  in  accordance  with  an  often-quoted 
English  proverb,  —  First  get  a  cage,  and  then  buy  the  bird. 
Tradition  points  to  the  back  part,  or,  rather,  western  side  of 
this  recently  given-away  village,  as  the  birthplace  of  Moses, 
On  going  ashore,  a  circle  of  Arabs  were  squatting  round  a  straw 
fire ;  six  out  of  seven  of  them  had  lost  the  fore-finger  of  the 
right  hand,  at  the  second  joint.  The  feeling  which  induced 
this  voluntary  mutilation  seems  to  have  pervaded  the  entire 
population  during  the  reign  of  Mohammed  Ali;  and  yet  they 
all  lament  his  death;  for  he  was  just,  they  say;  and  they 
now  find  an  apology  for  the  severity  of  his  measures  in  the 
exigencies  of  the  times  in  which  he  lived.  After  he  com- 
rnenced  taking  the  maimed  into  the  public  service,  and  it  was 
settled  that  cutting  off  a  finger  or  obliterating  an  eye  would  be 
no  excuse,  the  practice  was  abandoned. 

While  passing  the  new  sugar-house,  which  has  a  flat  roof, 
on  and  about  which  masons  were  at  work,  we  observed  little 
Arab  girls  carrying  mortar,  in  trays,  upon  their  heads.  A 
strapping  black  fellow,  in  a  milk-white,  flowing  cotton  frock, 
and  a  fierj'-red  tarbousch,  and  armed  with  a  formidable  long 
whip,  stood  on  one  corner,  to  maintain  order,  and  quicken  the 
movements  of  the  children  thus  reduced  to  the  condition  of 
beasts  of  burden.  In  Cairo,  I  have  seen  women  mixing  mortar 
with  their  hands ;  and  long  files  of  small  girls  carrying  it  to  the 
tops  of  buildings,  who  were  awed  and  quickened  in  their  labors 
by  overseers  flourishing  flexible  whips. 

Dec.  6th.  Thursday.  —  Just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  —  than 
which  a  more  glorious  sight  cannot  be  witnessed  in  Europe  or 


STAK3   IN    AN    EGYPTIAN    FIllMAMENT.  171 

America,  in  the  splendor  that  marks  its  going  down  in  the  clear 
atmosphere  of  this  section  of  Africa,  —  we  came  in  view  of 
Esne,  a  town  particularly  distinguished  for  being  the  place  of 
exile  for  all  the  dancing-girls  of  Lower  Egypt.  An  orthodox 
party  of  Moslems  were  so  shocked  with  their  performances,  that 
it  was  not  a  difficult  matter  to  effect  their  removal,  by  appeal- 
ing to  the  pasha,  I  cannot,  however,  understand  why  a  cave 
for  the  public  morals  necessarily  implies,  among  these  people, 
such  a  movement.  One  of  the  old  pasha's  whitewashed 
houses,  with  Christian  windows,  nicknamed  a  palace,  —  as 
every  building  is  that  is  not  made  of  mud,  —  looked  prettily 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  town.  Nothing  bears  close  inspec- 
tion, in  Egypt,  bat  its  ancient  ruins ;  and  they  improve  upon 
near  acquaintance.  An  old  Roman  wharf,  of  hewn  stone  and 
brick  masonry,  immensely  strong,  —  for  that  people  slighted 
nothing  that  v/as  designed  for  public  utility,  —  shows  that 
they  invariably  improved  the  natural  advantages  for  business 
and  war,  in  whatever  place  they  established  themselves.  It 
has  tottered  and  keeled  over,  like  the  empire  of  the  Caesars ; 
but  the  abutments,  and  great  masses  of  adherent  brick  and 
mortar,  are  eloquent  of  departed  glory. 

Fifteen  miles  further  up,  is  a  site  of  an  old  town,  conjectured 
to  have  been  Chorubis,  -with  another  Roman  wharf,  of  hewn 
stone,  indicating,  as  in  the  first,  the  thoroughness  of  those  hardy 
conquerors  of  the  world.  But  time  and  the  Nile  —  two  irre- 
sistible forces,  which  human  ingenuity  cannot  control  —  are 
wearing  it  into  oblivion.  Immense  numbers  of  grotto  doors 
were  seen  along  our  present  course,  leading  into  the  mountain- 
side.    They  were,  no  doubt,  ancient  tombs. 

And  here  I  cannot  forbear  alluding  to  the  splendor  of 
the  stars  in  the  firmament  over  our  heads.  The  whole  can- 
opy above  was   resplendent  with   beauty.      Each   and  every 


172  A    PILGSIUAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

planet  seemed  nearer  the  earth  than  I  have  ever  been  accus- 
tomed to  see  them  in  other  climates.  There  was  neither  mist, 
haze  nor  storm,  to  obscure  their  perpetual  brightness.  Why 
the  astronomers  do  not  go  there,  with  their  instruments,  is 
surprising.  There  would  be  neither  detention  by  foul  weather, 
nor  obscurations  by  flying  clouds.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how 
much  they  might  accomplish,  with  their  telescopes,  in  a  single 
season,  in  this  pure  atmosphere.  If  poets  and  the  first  astron- 
omers studied  the  elements  of  the  noble  science  of  astronomy 
in  Eg3^pt  and  Syria,  under  a  transparent  sky,  —  a  camel's 
back  the  first  observatory,  —  what  might  not  be  achieved,  in 
this  intellectual  epoch,  with,  modern  telescopes,  at  Thebes, 
Luxor,  and  Karnak  ? 

In  sailing  past  Edfou,  we  had  a  good  view  of  the  pylon  of  a 
majestic  temple,  —  to  be  visited  on  our  return.  A  misfortune 
of  a  serious  character  soon  after  overtook  us ;  for  I  overset  a 
bowl  of  custard,  an  essential  part  of  a  dinner.  Eggs  are  the 
only  edibles,  in  this  filthy  country,  which  are  clean.  It  was, 
therefore,  a  serious  loss,  since  it  is  unreasonable  to  expect 
another,  or  a  clean  substitute ;  and,  to  enlarge  the  catalogue  of 
woes,  Ali  dropped  the  coffee-pot  overboard.  Besides  these 
troubles,  every  saucer  was  broken ;  so  that  our  table  assumed 
a  shabby  appearance.  My  grief  was  measurably  assuaged  in 
the  amusement  of  modelling  a  bacchanalian  head  in  Nile  mud. 
The  crew  seemed  marvel-struck  that  mud  could  put  on  the 
expression  of  humanity.  They  frequently  came  aft  to  laugh 
over  it.  My  personal  friends,  familiar  with  the  activity  of  my 
organs  of  imitation,  will  understand  this.  Although  I  make 
not  the  least  pretension  to  skill  as  an  artist,  it  is  perfectly  easy 
for  me  to  model  a  face  of  any  person,  in  a  short  time,  which 
shall  have  the  expression  of  the  original. 

Dec.  6th.      Friday.  —  Had   a   satisfactory   run   all    night. 


MINUTE    PUDDIXG.  173 

Passed  Ombus,  ;it  yimrise.  Saw  the  old  Ptolemaic  temple,  oa 
the  Arabian  side ;  and,  at  eight  o'clock,  were  informed  that  we 
should  arrive  at  the  first  cataract  by  evening.  Came  to  a  vil- 
lage, in  which  a  man  had  just  died.  There  was  a  general 
howling  by  the  women,  that  might  have  been  heard  at  a  great 
distance.  We  were  informed  that  the  mourning,  in  this  man- 
ner, sometimes  continues  several  days.  Coffins  are  out  of  the 
question,  where  wood  is  scarce,  and  boards  rarely  ever  seen, 
unless  brought  from  Europe.     Most  of  the  hills  are  quite  low, 

—  mere  swells,  compared  with  the  lofty,  rugged  barrier-rocks 
lower  down  the  river.  The  Nile  was  obviously  smaller,  but 
not  more  rapid,  than  at  Cairo  or  Atfeh ;  nor  was  it  thought 
to  be  deep.  I  am  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  Nile  is 
fed  by  subterranean  branches,  that  enter  the  common  chan- 
nel ;  and  that  those  out-of-sight  contributors  flow  beneath  the 
limestone  underlying  the  sands  of  both  deserts,  below  the  first 
cataract. 

In  consideration  of  being  near  the  conclusion  of  the  voyage, 

—  having  proposed  to  end  it  at  the  island  of  Philse,  above  the 
cataract,  in  the  prox'ince  of  Nubia,  —  which  was  the  Ethiopia 
of  the  ancients,  —  we  ordered  our  boon  friend,  a  turkey,  to 
be  dressed  for  dinner.  Being  too  large  for  the  receiving  appa- 
ratus, it  was  halved,  and  brought  on,  like  a  peeled  orange,  to 
resemble  a  whole  one.  Who  would  not  dine  on  turkeys  in 
Egj'pt,  at  seventeen  cents'  cost  ?  A  crowning  part  of  the  enter- 
tainment —  altogether  an  extra  one,  in  point  of  taste  and  vari- 
ety—  was  a  minute  pudding.  The  cook  knew  nothing  about 
the  dish  ;  but,  a  little  bag  of  flour  being  in  the  locker,  it  devolved 
on  me  to  manufacture  it.  Such  a  pudding  was  no  everj--day 
aflair.  Mr.  Holland  and  Mr.  Warren  had  the  politeness  to 
keep  their  countenances;  but  there  was  no  disguising  the  fact 
that  swallowing  a  mouthful  of  it  was  an  extraordinary  feat,  for 

15* 


174  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYfT. 

it  went  down  with  extreme  reluctance,  and  against  the  will  of 
the  stomach.  However,  it  was  christened  an  economical  pud- 
ding ;  because  what  was  not  eaten  was  used  to  paste  up  the 
back  of  a  torn  book.  Hassan  wished  to  know  if  it  was  an 
American  pudding. 

Coming  to  a  sparse  settlement,  close  to  the  river,  on  a  nar- 
row strip  of  alluvium,  two  of  the  sailors  wished  to  land  and 
visit  their  friends,  promising  to  overtake  us  at  Assuan.  We 
gave  each  of  them  an  empty  bottle,  a  few  figs  and  apricots, 
and  some  tobacco,  as  presents  to  those  they  were  to  visit. 
Poor  fellows  !  they  had  been  absent  a  year,  —  and  what  could 
they  carry  home,  at  one  dollar  a  month?  One  was  born  here, 
and  the  other  a  few  miles  further  on.  One  had  a  divorced 
sister,  —  as  every  one  has  who  has  a  sister,  —  and  the  other  a 
wife.  Their  meeting  with  them  was  cordially  affectionate  and 
touching.  They  were  Nubians.  They  have  a  keen  sense  of 
the  ridiculous,  and  are  less  selfish  than  the  Arabs.  Though 
jet  black,  they  seem  to  mix  blood  with  others,  and  intermarry 
with  Arabs  and  Abyssinians. 

Dec.  1th.  Saturday.  —  Reached  Assuan,  pronounced  As-wa7i 
by  the  natives.  It  is  the  ancient  Syene,  referred  to  in  the  book 
of  Ezekiel.  Syenite  takes  its  name  from  this  town,  where 
granite  was  wrought,  between  three  and  four  thousand  years 
ago,  with  a  facility  that  puts  to  blush  the  best  attempts  of  this 
age,  with  its  tools  of  steel.  The  masons  of  that  day  had  cop- 
per chisels,  the  art  of  hardening  which  is  now  lost.  Assuan  is 
the  true  terminus  of  Nile  navigation  by  boats  of  the  first  class. 
A  smaller  class  of  boats  can  be  dragged  through  and  up  the  cata- 
ract, which  is  done,  a  few  times,  every  season.  Opposite,  is  the 
island  of  Elephantis.  It  has  a  governor,  and  is  a  large  town, 
with  ruins  extending  every  way,  and  almost  everywhere,  indic- 
ative of  a  former  great  city.     Sweep  the  edifices  of  every  kind 


ASSCAN,  175 

from  the  city  of  Boston,  or  tip  them  all  over  into  the  streets, 
cellars  and  wells,  and,  at  the  end  of  five  hundred  years,  when 
all  the  best  remnants  of  stone,  pillars,  mouldings,  brick,  &"c., 
had  been  pilfered  and  removed,  some  conception  might  be 
formed  of  the  wide  desolation  of  the  rough  mounds  on  which 
stood  ancient  Syene.  Elephantis  is  precisely  in  the  same  con- 
dition. We  have  no  parallel  for  the  appearance ;  consequently, 
it  is  no  easy  matter  for  a  person  who  has  not  surveyed  the 
ruins  with  his  own  eyes  to  comprehend  the  desolation. 

Elephantis  is  a  natural  mound,  enlarged  by  the  inhabitants 
who  have  resided  upon  it.  The  river  flows  all  around  it ;  and, 
at  the  time  of  the  inundation,  it  must  be  extremely  hazardous 
to  cross  to  the  main  land.  Things  were  once  on  a  colossal 
scale  on  that  little  island.  1  scarcely  know  what  we  saw, 
because  there  was  so  much  that  was  exciting,  on  account  of  its 
connection  with  the  past.  There  were  sarcophagi,  cut  in  the 
old  red  granite  boulders ;  there  were  high,  strong  gateways, 
great  stones,  and  fragmentary  sculptures ;  the  remnant  of  an 
old  Roman  bridge,  that  went  across  to  Assuan,  —  the  abutments 
of  which  are  still  firm,  made  of  stones,  bearing  symbols,  that, 
could  they  speak,  would  relate  strange  events,  that  occurred  in 
their  youth.  We  ranged  over  Assuan,  went  into  the  bazaars, 
and,  for  the  first  tune  in  my  life,  I  saw  what  I  had  never  seen 
before ;  but  a  regard  for  decency  forbids  me  to  relate  what  is 
true  in  regard  to  public  morals.  We  were  stoned  in  the  streets, 
by  a  rabble  of  Arab  boys,  who  fired  their  missiles  from  the 
walls,  and  from  behind  street-gates.  In  haste  to  retreat,  we 
came  upon  a  company  of  respectable-looking  Arabs,  smoking 
round  a  gate,  who  interfered.  They  forbade  the  incipient 
haters  of  Christians  from  moving  an  inch  further,  and  we 
quietly  returned  to  our  quarters  on  board.  A  group  of  children 
—  many  of  them  little  girls,  from  five  to  ten  years  of  age  — 


176  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYI'T. 

followed  us  wherever  we  rambled  over  the  island  of  Elephantis, 
with  various  articles  to  sell.  Some  had  pieces  of  ancient  blue 
glass,  small  bronze  figures,  metallic  beetles,  seals,  ancient 
coins,  &c.,  which  they  are  continually  finding,  by  rolling  over 
stones,  removing  masses  of  brick,  or  excavating  below  walls. 
The  girls  had  a  narrow  belt  round  the  loins,  with  a  pendulous 
fringe,  —  swaying  and  flying,  in  their  antics,  —  without  a  par- 
ticle of  any  other  covering.  They  had  good  features,  black, 
restless  eyes,  and  were  perfectly  elastic  in  their  movements. 

Having  sufficiently  surveyed  Assuan,  we  concluded  to  take 
donkeys  for  the  upper  side  of  the  cataract,  and  not  attempt  to 
drag  the  boat  over  the  rapids,  between  rocks,  and  through 
whirlpools.  At  the  foot  of  the  cataract,  at  the  water's  edge, 
which  may  be  termed  the  port  of  Assuan,  boats  of  various 
sizes  —  some  from  Cairo,  and  the  intermediate  places,  and  a 
few  from  above,  that  came  down  through  the  cataract  —  were 
made  fast  to  the  bank.  Merchants  from  Abyssinia  and  Don- 
gola,  and  people  of  strange  features  and  strange  ^languages, 
were  packing  and  unpacking  merchandise  on  the  sandy  shore. 
Coarse  cottons,  of  gay  colors,  Arab  shoes  for  females,  the  ugly 
yellow  morocco  boots,  clumsy  red  morocco  shoes,  —  peaked- 
toed,  of  course,  —  dates,  tobacco,  gaudy-colored  calicoes,  &c. 
&c.,  were  heaped  up  in  profusion.  There  was  one  gayly- 
painted  tent,  to  protect  a  slave-dealer.  An  air  of  activity  pre- 
vailed, and  novelty  reigned  through  the  whole.  At  this  aquatic 
rao-Xi,  a  tall,  finely-developed  Abyssinian,  black  as  charcoal, 
finely-featured,  with  pearl-white,  even  teeth,  noticing  my 
gloves,  as  I  was  walking  slowly  where  he  and  his  assistants 
were  re-packing  goods,  begged  permission  to  look  at  my  "  hand- 
cases,"  as  he  called  them,  having  never  before  seen  any.  They 
were  a  poor,  ripped  and  torn  pair  of  kids;  and  it  was  a  subject 
of  profound  regret  that  a  better  specimen  was  not  at  hand. 


AN    ARAB    BURYIXG-GROL">'D.  177 

They  were  inspected  with  careful  attention.  Xot  being  able 
to  introduce  their  own  broad-spread  hands,  it  was  a  source  of 
amusement  to  them  to  have  me  put  them  off  and  on.  This 
man  could  write  Arabic,  but,  as  nearly  as  I  could  understand, 
he  had  never  heard  of  America.  He  wanted  to  know  where  I 
came  from,  and  how  far  it  was  to  my  country.  After  various 
devices  to  make  him  comprehend,  the  figures  6000  were  made 
with  a  pencil,  when  he  expressed  his  astonishment  at  the  dis- 
tance,—  evidently  comprehending  that  6000  meant  a  measure 
that  conveyed  the  idea  of  a  great  distance.  He  once  asked  if 
I  came  from  E^ngUtse.  We  exchanged  cards ;  he  took  mine, 
and  carried  it  up  the  Nile,  while  his  is  still  among  my  effects. 
Donkeys  being  procured,  for  going  round  the  cataract,  we 
started,  at  an  early  hour,  to  make  the  jaunt.  Our  destination 
was  the  island  of  Philjc,  once  regarded  as  the  holiest  place  in 
Egj'pt.  After  ascending  and  passing  over  extensive  ruins, 
such  as  are  nowhere  else  seen,  —  cellars,  underpinning,  broken 
granite  shafts,  hewn  stone,  broken  bricks  and  pottery,  the 
never-failing  indications  of  the  localities  once  in  the  occupancy 
of  the  old  inhabitants,  —  we  came  to  an  Arab  burying-ground, 
which,  it  was  supposed,  embraced  a  hundred  acres.  The  num- 
ber of  giaves  was  startling ;  for  it  was  certain  that  the  dead 
exceeded  the  living  by  scores  of  thousands.  The  population 
about  the  cataract,  at  some  remote  period,  must  have  been  half 
a  million,  if  not  more,  in  order  to  have  peopled  the  city  whose 
circuit  we  surveyed.  The  island  of  Elephantis  —  where 
\vealth,  luxury  and  refinement,  were  indicated  in  the  character 
of  its  last  remnants  of  crumbling  ruins  —  cannot  be  described. 
Old  sheik-tombs,  some  white  and  fresh,  and  others  dilapidated 
and  tumbling  to  pieces,  were  dotted  about,  extending  to  the 
outskirts,  and  perched  upon  all  the  principal  commanding  emi- 
nences.   Grave-stones  —  about  two  feet  and  a  half  long,  by  one 


178  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

in  width,  lying  flat  upon  the  surface  —  were  strewn  about  in 
profusion.  Their  inscriptions  were  Kuphic,  and  the  characters 
in  relief.  I  should  have  attempted  to  bring  one  away,  had  it 
not  been  intimated  that  it  would  not  be  allowed.  Saw  a  stack 
of  them,  that  had  been  collected  together,  probably  when  the 
graves  they  originally  covered  could  no  longer  be  designated. 
A  broad  highway  extends  from  the  back  side  of  ancient  Syene 
to  within  a  mile  of  E'Shallal,  which  is  the  port,  situated  above 
the  rapids,  in  a  kind  of  basin,  out  of  reach  of  the  action  of  the 
current.  Boats  coming  down  the  Nile,  with  dates  and  other 
products,  and  staves,  are  usually  disembarked  here,  and  carried 
on  asses  down  to  Assuan.  We  passed  droves  of  miniature  don- 
keys, laden,  bound  for  the  trade-boats  below  the  falls.  There 
was  a  deal  of  bustle;  gayly-painted  tents  of  slave-dealers; 
troops  of  women,  boys,  children  and  up-river  people,  all  busily 
bartering,  trading,  and  exchanging  commodities.  A  woman 
ran  by  the  side  of  my  fast-ambling  donkey,  intent  upon  selling 
me  a  clumsy  silver  bracelet,  which  she  took  from  her  wrist,  for 
which  she  asked  the  modest  sum  of  three  dollars.  The  work 
was  curious  ;  and,  as  a  specimen  of  the  ingenuity  of  the  silver- 
smiths of  Ethiopia,  it  would  have  been  gratifying  to  have 
brought  it  away.  We  no  sooner  came  to  the  water,  than  there 
was  a  tussle  among  rival  boatmen  for  a  job.  The  strife  would 
have  been  alarming  to  persons  unaccustomed  to  the  ferocious 
gabble  of  excited  Arabs.  All  the  way  up  the  great  road,  — 
which  may  have  been  made  three  thousand  years,  —  it  was 
very  certain  that  human  industry  had  singularly  triumphed 
over  the  obstacles  placed  in  the  way  by  nature.  Vast  boulders 
had  been  removed,  quarried,  and  pulverized,  to  give  a  clear 
passage.  There  was  a  brick  wall  all  the  distance  where  there 
was  a  desert  exposure,  to  keep  the  sand  from  drifting  on  the 
track.     We  saw  enormously  large  boulders  of  red  granite,  that 


APPROACH    TO    PUILiE.  179 

had  been  partially  hewn  ;  sarcophagi,  half  finished,  and  aban- 
doned, on  account  of  an  injury.  The  same  figures,  characters 
and  symbolic  expressions,  found  on  the  obelisks,  and  on  all  the 
old  public  works,  are  cut  upon  the  stones.  The  chisel-marks 
are  fresh  as  though  made  the  day  before.  Wc  were  quite 
overwhelmed  at  the  amazing  indications  of  the  industry  of  the 
stone-masons  on  this  region  of  boulders.  Were  I  to  relate  all 
we  saw,  and  the  deductions  made  from  observations,  there 
would  be  no  reasonable  limits  to  this  diary. 

E'Shallal  is  seven  miles  from  Assuan,  which  corresponds 
with  the  distance  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  end  of  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony,  between  Fort  Snelling  and  the  falls ;  and  the 
same,  too,  that  exists  between  Lewiston  and  the  Falls  of  Niag- 
ara. It  is  a  singular  circumstance  that  these  three  cataracts, 
the  most  remarkable  on  the  continents  of  Africa  and  America, 
have  receded  seven  miles  each  from  the  points  where  geologists 
suppose  they  were  originally  established.  We  took  one  of  the 
best  job-boats,  dirty,  broad  and  uninviting  as  it  was,  raised  the 
American  flag  on  a  stick  at  the  stern,  and  away  the  bare-legged 
fellows  pulled  for  Philre.  They  sang  an  extemporaneous  song, 
in  honor  of  America,  to  gratify  the  vanity  of  their  customers ; 
but,  not  then  knowing  a  word  of  the  language,  and  not  more 
of  the  sentiment,  it  was  all  lost  upon  us.  They  did  not  mean 
it  should  be  lost  to  themselves,  however,  for  they  begged  for 
backshiesh  lustily,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  excursion. 

As  we  approached  Philoe,  young,  supple  Arabs,  entirely 
naked,  lying  on  a  log  of  date-tree  wood,  to  buoy  them  up, 
swam  out  to  us,  playing  as  nimbly  as  sharks  round  the  boat, 
beseeching  to  be  taken  as  guides.  1  threw  bits  of  hard  bread 
into  the  water,  for  the  sake  of  witnessing  their  activity  in  pick- 
ing them  up.  E'Shallal  is  a  miserable  place,  without  a  house ; 
but  an  air  of  business  activity  reigns  at  the  landing.    The  river 


180  A    FILGRIMAGiJ    TO    KGiPT. 

is  narrow,  not  swift,  and  by  no  means  very  deep.  Bales  of 
goods,  gum  copal,  dates,  moss,  and  a  variety  of  products  from 
Africa,  including  human  beings,  were  on  sale,  or  soon  would 
be,  when  arrived  at  their  places  of  destination.  Every  one 
was  seated  on  the  ground,  smoking,  except  those  compelled  to 
stand,  to  negotiate.  When  we  were  seated  in  the  passage-boat, 
and  raised  our  eyes  to  the  scenery  that  surrounded  us,  we  were 
astonished  at  the  wildness,  beauty  and  novelty,  of  the  prospect. 
We  noticed  many  a  painted  picture  on  the  rocks,  that  may 
have  been  defying  the  elements  more  than  four  thousand  years; 
but  they  are,  nevertheless,  quite  fresh  and  bright  in  coloring, 
under  the  ceilings  of  some  of  the  royal  colonnades  of  Philse. 
Philse  appears  always  to  have  been  a  small  island,  surrounded 
by  the  Nile,  on  which  the  wealth  of  monarchs  and  the  influ- 
ence of  priests  were  lavished,  with  a  profuse  liberality  imparal- 
leled  in  these  days  of  rigid  economy.  Walls,  obelisks,  majestic 
temples,  covered  by  hieroglyphics,  and  some  of  the  rarest  speci- 
mens of  ancient  architectural  excellence  in  sculpture,  present 
themselves  for  contemplation,  to  surprise,  astonish,  and  admon- 
ish us.  At  the  top  of  the  propylon  of  the  great  temple,  —  sur- 
passingly magnificent  in  the  day  of  its  beauty  and  glory,  and 
still  a  wonder  such  as  the  world  rarely  sees,  —  I  raised  the 
American  flag.  For  the  first  time,  the  stars  and  stripes  of  the 
great  republic  of  America  waved  where  they  had  never  before ; 
and  the  ignorant  Arab  fellahs  who  saw  them  no  doubt  queried 
in  their  minds  what  could  have  been  intended  by  the  exhibition. 
On  the  inside  of  the  massive  east  temple  was  the  following 
inscription  :  — 


"  Philte.  —  24.  3.  45. 
Paris.  —  30.  16.  22.     Balzac.  F.  R.  Au.  7." 


Below, 


PHIL^.  181 

♦'  John  Fuller,  five  months  from  Addwar,  in  Abyssinia,  after  being  in 
that  country  14  years,  in  the  service  of  the  Earl  of  Mountnonis  and  H. 
Salt,  Esq.     March  31,  1819." 

The  mighty  ruin  on  which  we  stood  —  the  design  of  architects 
and"  subtle  priests,  executed  by  artists  of  consummate  skill  — 
was  a  ruin  long  before  any  of  the  present  nations  in  Europe 
had  existence.  The  continent  of  America,  with  all  its  geologi- 
cal, political,  commercial  and  social  importance,  —  in  our  time 
so  large  and  so  rich  in  resources,  —  was  not  known  for  some 
thousands  of  years  after  Philae  had  passed  its  climacteric. 

Philae  may  possibly  contain  six  acres  of  land,  every  inch  of 
which  is  covered  by  stately  edifices,  in  the  highest  style  of 
ancient  Egyptian  excellence.  It  is  quite  irregular  in  shape ; 
and  the  water-walls,  to  defend  it  from  the  action  of  the  river, 
conform  to  the  irregular  line.  After  completing  the  examina- 
tion, climbing  up,  going  through  narrow,  dirty  passage-ways, 
and  down  into  holes  where  no  one  would  go  for  anything  short 
of  gratifying  an  insatiable  curiosity,  we  crossed  over  to  the 
island  of  Bigger,  directly  opposite,  —  a  rocky,  rough  spot, — 
where  there  are  remains  of  something  beautiful  in  architecture, 
but  what,  no  one  can  divine.  Such  elaborate  cuttings,  such 
fragments  of  sculpture  in  the  hardest  stone,  settle  the  question 
in  respect  to  the  perseverance  of  those  who  accomplished  these 
lasting  memorials  of  human  industry  and  folly,  should  it  ever  be 
agitated.  A  troop  of  naked  children,  and  skinny,  bony  women, 
with  a  few  boys,  beset  us,  with  a  spirit  of  determination,  for 
backshiesh,  which  quickened  our  pace,  and  hastened  the  depart- 
ure. About  Bigger,  up  and  down  the  river,  and  on  the  shore 
of  the  Arabian  desert  side,  granite  boulders,  of  great  magnitude, 
were  piled  up  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  it  was  estimated,  as 
though  giants  had  placed  them  in  that  position,  —  as  children 
pile  up  pebbles,  —  for  amusement.  They  indicated  the  intense 
16 


182  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

action  of  heat,  being  black  on  the  eastern  side,  and  completely 
vitrified,  like  glass.  Such  a  phenomenon  is  rarely,  if  ever,  seen 
in  other  parts  of  the  world.  In  the  river,  on  its  banks,  and  at 
the  angle  where  the  two  branches,  that  flow  each  side  of  Philae, 
reunite,  to  form  the  island,  these  boulders  are  covered  v^ith 
ancient  inscriptions,  with  symbolic  characters,  precisely  like 
those  seen  in  and  about  the  temples  and  monuments ;  but  of  a 
rude  description,  as  though  executed  by  inferior  workmen,  to 
idle  away  time.  Between  three  and  four  thousand  years  have 
passed  away  since  their  execution ;  yet  all  the  chisel-marks  are 
fresh,  and  apparently  newly-cut.  Similar  markings  are  seen 
on  the  boulders  in  the  desert,  and  on  high  ledges  above  Syene, 
and  even  on  the  great  bed  of  granite  that  juts  out  into  the  NUe, 
just  above  the  landing-place  at  Assuan.  In  short,  the  traces 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians  abound,  wherever  there  are  masses  of 
rocks.  On  the  faces  of  several  imposing  rocks  were  the  same 
symbolical  characters,  and  the  pictures  of  men,  with  hawks' 
and  dogs'  heads,  —  appearing  to  have  been  quite  recently 
engraven. 

On  the  return  to  Assuan,  we  deviated  a  little  from  the  track 
of  the  grand  broad  way  road,  to  view  a  granite  obelisk,  in  the 
quarry,  which,  for  some  cause,  after  being  hewn,  was  left,  and 
never  afterwards  sought.  It  is  known  as  the  rejected  obelisk. 
Probably  a  change  on  the  throne,  a  movement  of  the  priest- 
hood adverse  to  the  undertaking,  or  the  demands  of  a  war, 
might  have  interrupted  the  process.  It  is  well  hammered,  and 
supposed  to  be  over  ninety  feet  in  length  by  eight  square  at  the 
base.  It  is  of  the  common  coarse  gray  granite.  It  should  be 
exposed,  by  digging  away  the  sand,  to  ascertain  if  it  is  still 
attached  to  the  quarry.  I  was  struck  with  what  had  been 
accomplished,  on  every  side,  upon  granite ;  while  agriculture 
—  on  which  the  importance  of  Egypt   must  have   necessarily 


VISIT    FROM    AN    ARAB    GOVERNOR.  183 

depended  —  might  have  been  quite  neglected.  For  full  half  a 
mile,  on  either  side  of  the  wide  road,  on  our  return  route  to 
Assuan,  the  energy  of  the  ancient  stone-workers  was  exhibited. 
Immense  blocks  were  scattered  about  promiscuously,  having 
the  fresh  chisel-cuts  for  the  insertion  of  the  wooden  wedges  by 
which  they  were  split,  appearing  as  though  but  recently  exe- 
cuted. Kocks  on  the  island  of  Bigger,  and  on  the  eastern 
desert,  opposite  Philae,  are  strongly  marked  and  engraven,  with 
the  self-same  class  of  hieroglyphics  everj'where  distinguish- 
able, but  of  ruder  finish,  on  obelisks,  temples  and  monuments, 
of  all  descriptions,  throughout  the  land. 

We  were  safely  back  at  Assuan,  in  good  time  for  a  full 
exploration  of  the  island  of  Elephantis,  where  the  massive 
gateway,  and  the  steps  leading  down  to  the  old  Nilometer,  — 
made  of  red  granite,  wrought  with  as  much  care  and  facility  as 
if  it  were  of  ivory,  —  put  into  the  shade  the  best  efforts  of  our 
day  in  hard  stone.  By  degrees  we  reviewed  Assuan,  —  went 
to  the  slave-mart,  only  a  colored  woman  and  her  three  children 
being  on  sale.  A  tax  is  here  collected  on  all  slaves  brought 
into  Eg}^t.  They  cannot  be  conveyed  further  down  the  river 
till  the  duty  is  paid,  which  amounts  to  a  very  considerable  rev- 
enue for  the  treasury  of  Abbas  Pasha. 

About  sunset,  as  we  were  leisurely  seated  on  our  divan,  — 
a  raised  wooden  bench,  which  also  served  as  our  bed  by  night, 
—  the  Governor  of  Assuan,  with  his  suite,  called  on  board. 
This  was  an  unexpected  event,  and  not  a  common  occurrence. 
After  a  formal  introduction,  accompanied  by  low  bows,  with 
the  right  hand  across  the  breast,  his  excellency  and  party 
seated  themselves,  in  oriental  manner,  on  the  divan.  The 
passage-way  between  the  benches  was  narrow,  at  the  terminus 
of  which  was  a  very  small  room,  used  for  a  harem  by  the  offi- 
cer who  had  the  boat  for  a  trip  before  we  contracted  for  it.     It 


184  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

was  in  the  extreme  stem,  small  and  inconvenient.  The  divan 
filled  it  nearly  full.  In  that  snug  apartment  were  my  effects 
and  lodgings.  His  great  highness  —  who  was  a  little  nervous 
man,  with  sandy  hair,  very  un-Turk  like,  with  a  beard  of  the 
same  color  —  peeped  into  each  hiding-hole;  and  when  the  salu- 
tations were  concluded,  pipes  were  raised,  with  difficulty,  for  so 
many  guests,  by  borrowing  of  the  pilot ;  but,  after  a  while,  all 
hands  began  to  smoke,  in  dignified  silence.  Next,  Hassan 
raised  some  cofiee,  piping  hot ;  and  then  a  general  conversation 
ensued,  which  was  translated  for  both  parties  by  the  dragoman. 
His  excellency  begged  a  little  tobacco,  of  course ;  made  some 
inquiries  in  regard  to  our  country;  and,  when  he  understood 
distinctly  where  it  was,  he  rolled  his  little  gray  eyes  towards 
the  zenith,  and  exclaimed.  Bis  millah — God  is  great!  He  wore 
a  golden  miniature  anchor,  suspended  by  a  ribbon.  We  were 
informed  that  he  had  been  an  officer  in  the  army.  In  his  suite 
was  a  tall,  black  Abyssinian,  of  grave  aspect,  and  two  others, 
tolerably  white,  —  Turks,  I  imagined,  —  who  were  sufficiently 
obsequious  to  his  excellency  to  sho\v  they  were  dependants.  It 
occurred  to  me  to  enter  a  complaint  against  the  rabble  of  insult- 
ing boys  who  had  given  us  such  annoyance  in  the  streets ;  but, 
fearing  he  might  order  them  flogged  to  death,  —  knowing  the 
severity  of  the  mildest  punishments,  in  a  despotism,  —  nothing 
was  said  about  it.  After  a  proper  time,  and  in  good  taste,  the 
gentlemen  took  their  leave.  The  occasion  was  improved  for 
making  some  statistical  inquiries  in  regard  to  population,  prod- 
ucts, prospects  and  resources,  of  Upper  Egypt.  The  popula- 
tion of  Assuan,  the  governor  told  us,  was  five  thousand  seven 
hundred.  It  seemed  to  me  that  this  was  an  exaggerated 
account ;  for  three  thousand  would  require  more  ample  accom- 
modations than  exist  in  the  town.  He  may  have  included  sev- 
eral small  villages,  and  the  dependencies,  —  including  the  river 


'  MOHAMMEDAN'    ESTIMATION    OF    CHRIST.  185 

Strangers.  His  district  extended  from  Keneh  to  Philae,  —  a 
little  short  of  two  hundred  miles.  The  governor  made  some 
inquiries  about  the  government  of  our  countT\',  and  obser\'ed 
that  the  flag  flying  on  the  boat  was  the  first  of  the  kind  he  had 
seen  at  Assuan  the  present  season.  The  general  principles  of 
the  government  of  the  United  States  were  explained ;  and 
when  assured  that  the  pashas  of  provinces  —  equivalent  to  gov- 
ernors—  were  elected  by  the  people,  and,  if  these  did  not 
answer  their  expectations,  and  were  bad  rulers,  the  people 
removed  them,  and  thus  made  them  powerless,  he  was  evidently 
surprised ;  for  he  again  exclaimed,  God  is  great !  He  was 
curious  to  know  how  the  chief  pasha  of  the  whole  country 
obtained  his  position ;  and,  on  being  informed  that  he  was  a 
man  standing  upon  the  universal  level,  without  hereditary 
privileges,  and  also  elected  by  popular  suffrage,  on  account  of 
his  presumed  qualifications,  his  little  excellency  again  puffed 
out  the  smoke  in  a  voluminous  cloud,  and  repeated  the  old 
exclamation,  Bis  Millah,  as  on  all  occasions  when  astonished. 
He  inquired  what  our  books  said  about  the  ruins  of  Philae. 
Mr.  Holland  told  him  that  our  Koran  (Bible)  spoke  of  Egj'pt, 
so  that  everj'^  child  in  our  country  knew  something  of  its 
ancient  histor}'.  He  at  once  remarked  that  our  prophet,  Jesus 
Christ,  he  believed  to  have  been  a  good  man  ;  and  that  he 
would  fight  side  by  side  with  Mohammed,  for  the  people,  in  the 
end. 

I  have  noticed,  in  all  conversations  with  the  most  intelligent 
and  pious  Mussulmans,  they  are  free  to  admit  that  the  Saviour 
—  with  whose  name  they  appear  familiar  —  was  next  in  rank 
to  Mohammed,  in  point  of  influence  and  dignity.  But  they 
never  can  divest  themselves  of  the  idea  of  fighting  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  both  the  Christian  and  Moslem  faith.  Heaven  is 
16* 


186  A    PILGEIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

to  be  obtained  by  an  effort  of  arms,  as  well  as  by  prayers,  and 
a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  Fighting  for  religion  is  a  part  and 
parcel  of  the  history  of  the  origin  and  diffusion  of  Mohammed- 
anism ;  and  its  maintenance  must  depend  upon  the  same  sys- 
tem that  brought  it  into  its  present  form ;  because,  when  the 
intellect  is  developed,  and  Moslems  begin  to  reason,  they  will 
also  begin  to  acquire  the  elements  of  Christianity,  which  must 
be  a  death-blow  to  all  confidence  in  the  falsehoods  of  the  Koran. 

Dec.  8th.  Sunday.  —  Took  our  departure  from  Assuan  at  an 
early  hour.  An  English  traveller  arrived,  as  we  were  unmoor- 
ing, who  intended  to  look  at  Philse,  and  return  next  day.  Our 
reis  commenced  some  of  his  pranks  of  imposition  in  about  two 
hours,  —  the  crew  refusing  to  row,  because  the  wind  blew. 
We  threatened  to  carry  him  before  the  first  pasha  we  should 
find,  and  even  contemplated  returning  to  enter  a  complaint  to 
our  friend,  the  governor.  The  design  of  the  reis  was  to  pro- 
long the  voyage,  in  order  to  get  more  money  than  he  could 
expect  by  despatching  business  in  the  accustomed  manner. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Ave  had  drifted  down  to 
Kom  Ombus,  sixteen  miles.  Going  on  shore,  we  examined  the 
gigantic  columns,  and  parts  of  a  great  temple,  dedicated  to  Ptol- 
emy and  Queen  Cleopatra,  his  sister,  &c.,  —  a  ruin  that  bids 
defiance  to  all  description.  There  is  not  a  house,  shanty, 
or  even  the  habitation  of  a  human  being,  to  be  seen,  where 
was  once  a  city;  and  this  temple,  which  has  withstood  the 
assaults  of  ages,  and  of  barbarous  men  and  travellers,  excites 
the  liveliest  sentiments  of  admiration.  The  attainments  of  the 
artisans  and  architects  of  the  remote  epoch  when  this  magnifi- 
cent structure  stood  in  all  its  classical  proportions  and  beauty, 
—  the  object  of  admiration  for  a  long  series  of  ages,  —  were 
very  extraordinary.  This  massive  and  very  costly  building  — 
that  must  have  required  the  constant  and  indefatigable  labor 


ENORMOUS   QUARKIED   STONES,  187 

of  thousands  of  the  first  artists  of  the  time,  for  forty  or  fifty 
years — contained  two  holies  of  holies.  It  was  raised  wholly  at 
the  expense  of  the  infantry  that  was  quartered,  during  its  erec- 
tion, at  Ombus,  which  was  one  of  the  eminent  military  stations, 
and  the  centre  of  an  extensive  military  district,  during  the  joint 
reigns  of  the  brother  and  sister  —  who  were  also  husband  and 
wife — referred  to  in  an  inscription,  still  legible.  Under  the  ceil- 
ing of  the  magnificent  portico  of  this  imposing  creation  of  men, 
some  of  the  designs  in  coloring  were  never  completed  ;  but  the 
outlines,  in  red  chalk,  are  still  fresh  and  distinct,  as  though  but 
just  made.  I  was  so  full  of  astonishment  at  the  sight  of  these 
ancient  ruins,  that  have  outlived  everything  else,  that  it  quite 
destroyed  all  the  veneration  that  had  previously  been  acquired 
for  the  antiquities  of  Rome.  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum,  with 
all  their  wonders  and  buried  treasures,  which  I  had  wandered 
over  with  feverish  eagerness,  melted  into  utter  insignificance  in 
comparison  with  Kom  Ombus. 

We  spent  some  time  in  reflection  over  two  beautifully-sculp- 
tured stones,  twenty  feet  long,  eight  in  width,  and  nearly  eight 
thick.  How  they  had  been  transported  from  the  quarry  is 
a  matter  of  speculation ;  for,  even  with  our  modern  improve- 
ments in  derricks,  and  boats  for  burden,  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  handle  these  enormous  blocks.  But  the  next  query 
was  this  :  How  were  they  raised  up  the  steep  bank  of  the  river, 
and  then  elevated  to  their  position  in  the  structure  ?  In  regard 
to  the  great  blocks  of  Avhich  the  roof  was  composed,  the  same 
perplexity  arises.  Many  of  them  would  weigh  —  so  thought  all 
of  us  —  from  twenty  to  fifty  tons,  if  not  more.  This  is,  indeed, 
a  marvellous  story  to  relate ;  but  I  might  give  a  series  of 
facts  that  came  within  the  particular  scope  of  my  professional 
observation,  in  regard  to  the  moral  tone  of  society,  that  would 
be  taken  with  such  distrust  that  I  dare  not  even  state  some  of 


188  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYrT. 

the  smaller  facts,  by  way  of  illustrating  the  social  organization, 
or,  rather,  social  toleration  of  enormities,  feeling  it  might  sub- 
ject me  to  the  abuse  of  those  who  would  be  disposed  to  question 
the  relation.  I  feel  it  wise  to  say  nothing,  rather  than  to 
involve  myself  in  controversies  with  persons  who  know  nothing 
of  the  subject,  but  who  might  be  disposed  to  question  the  asser- 
tions of  those  who  brave  public  opinion  by  stating  what  every 
traveller  knows  to  be  true  who  investigates  the  structure  of 
society  in  unchristian  countries. 

The  propylon,  the  imposing  gateway,  —  lofty  enough  for  the 
entrance  of  the  gods,  —  is  fast  going  into  the  river.  The 
current  has  undermined  the  advance  sub-structure,  and  some 
massive  and  unequalled  specimens  of  ancient  sculpture,  and 
primitive  outline  drawings  in  colors,  have  already  been  swal- 
lowed up  by  the  insatiable  Nile.  Thirty  years  will  wholly 
obliterate  the,  last  remains  of  this  magnificent,  wonderful, 
and  unique  edifice,  unless  the  government  speedily  lends  a 
helping  hand,  and  defends  it  against  the  steady  assaults  of 
the  river,  and  the  ruthless  devastations  of  foreign  visiters. 
Monster  temple  as  it  was,  it  has  diminished  in  volume ;  and, 
though  it  holds  itself  erect  and  dauntless  between  two  never- 
resting  foes,  —  the  sands  of  Arabia  upon  its  back,  and  the  swift- 
flowing  waters  of  the  river  in  front,  —  it  must,  at  no  verj- 
remote  period,  give  way,  after  a  resistance  of  many  a  century 
of  abandonment. 

A  grand  prospect  of  distant  mountain  scenery  opened  upon 
our  excited  vision  from  the  top  of  the  old  temple,  and  the  walls 
that  enclosed  the  sacred  edifice.  In  another  direction,  the  aspect 
was  desolate ;  for  there  was  a  wide  waste  of  millions  upon 
millions  of  acres  of  arid,  heated  sand,  that  defied  vegetation, 
and  is  now  threatening  the  concealment,  in  its  constrictor  em- 
brace, of  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  architecture  the  world 


A   MISSING   BOATMAN.  189 

can  boast.  One  of  our  sailors  picked  up  the  cast  skin  of  a 
serpent  six  feet  in  length,  indicating  that  loathsome  reptiles 
are  the  permanent,  undisturbed  occupants  of  a  spot  once  sacred 
to  the  gods  of  Egypt.  A  solemn  worship,  in  the  darkness  of 
paganism,  was  instituted  and  practised  where  we  were  stand- 
ing :  but  the  smoke  of  the  altars  has  gone  out ;  the  holy  vest- 
ments and  priestly  apparatus  are  nowhere  to  be  found ;  and  the 
stillness  of  death  marks  the  locality  where  the  voices  of  thou- 
sands were  heard,  in  the  ecstasies  of  heathen  enthusiasm,  in 
praise  of  imaginary  deities,  whose  attributes  were  the  passions 
of  men,  with  the  characters  of  devils. 

Where  the  boat  lay  while  the  foregoing  explorations  were 
being  made  was  a  shadoof,  about  which  were  several  perfectly 
naked  children,  pretty  well  grown.  A  sense  of  shame  seemed 
never  to  have  been  developed  either  in  them,  or  others  in  that 
condition.  I  saw  half-grown  girls  at  E'  Shallal,  as  at  Elephan- 
tine, who  had  a  fringed  belt  round  their  loins,  the  pendant 
threads  of  which  hung  down  an  inch  or  two  only  below  the  hips, 
without  any  other  clothing.  Seveml  adults  —  laboring  men  — 
were  clothed  as  the  Irish  clergyman  described  the  Carrickfergus 
beggars,  in  nothing  but  nakedness. 

The  boatman  spoken  of  as  having  had  permission  to  go  on 
shore  at  his  native  village,  on  the  way  to  Assuan,  failed  to  be 
there,  as  promised ;  and,  on  returning,  when  opposite  the  vil- 
lage, finding  he  was  not  forthcoming,  as  expected,  Hassan,  with 
the  yawl,  made  a  landing,  for  an  inquiry  for  the  non-appearing 
man.  To  his  amazement,  he  learned  that  the  poor  fellow  had 
been  held  a  prisoner,  ever  since  he  left  us,  by  the  sheik,  for 
not  having  paid  the  pasha's  tax.  Hassan  represented  the  case 
of  his  engagement  with  us,  and  the  consequences  that  would 
positively  accrue  to  himself,  —  disastrous  in  the  extreme,  —  if 
he  thus  detained  the  hired  servant  of  a  traveller,  in  violation 


190  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

of  the  well-known  regulations  of  the  pasha's  government. 
The  reasoning  prevailed,  simply  because  the  sheik  was  afraid 
our  representations  might  subject  himself  to  the  bastinado  ;  and 
the  frightened  prisoner  was  liberated  without  a  flogging,  con- 
trary to  custom,  upon  promising  to  pay  in  millet,  or  something 
else  equally  good,  on  his  next  trip  up  the  Nile. 

Dec.  9ik.  Monday.  —  Since  our  declamatory  confab  with 
the  reis  yesterday,  and  the  threat  to  take  him  before  the  next 
pasha  on  the  route,  the  boat  has  floated  down  quite  cheerily. 
For  a  few  hours  the  wind  was  tempestuous,  and  not  unlike 
being  at  sea,  —  for  I  became  sick.  Orders  were  given  for  stop- 
ping at  the  sandstone  quarries  of  Silsilis.  About  three  o'clock 
this  morning,  we  hauled  up  directly  under  the  ledge.  A  long 
walk,  after  daylight,  and  an  hour  given  to  the  inspection,  was 
satisfactory.  It  was  at  this  quarrj^,  and  another,  nearly  oppo- 
site, on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  that  the  ancient  Egyptians 
procured  all  the  great  and  massive  blocks  of  sandstone  for  Kos 
Ombus,  Luxor,  and,  indeed,  for  almost  every  structure  in  which 
that  material  was  used.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  must 
have  wrought  in  these  quarries,  to  have  made  so  many  deep 
and  extraordinary  excavations.  There  are  the  chapels  in  which 
they  said  their  prayers ;  the  colonnades,  where  the  overseers 
sat;  the  tombs  which  contained  the  remains  of  those  most  distin- 
guished among  them.  Of  all  the  great  and  heavy  quarryings 
in  our  own  country,  there  is  nothing  that  bears  any  comparison 
to  the  tremendous  operations  at  Silsilis.  Unfinished  statues, 
niches  in  the  walls,  elaborate  mouldings  in  stone,  a  beautiful 
door,  the  marks  of  the  chisels,  the  stone  on  which  they  sharp- 
ened and  tried  the  temper  of  their  chisels,  and  colored  figures, 
keep  the  traveller  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement;  because 
they  surpass  the  utmost  skill  of  modern  times,  even  as  displayed 
in  tunnelling  mountains  for  railroads.     It  must  be  more  than 


IMMENSE   SIZE   OF    EGYPTIAN    RUINS.  191 

three  thousand  years  since  any  labor  has  been  performed  there ; 
yet  the  chisel-marks  are,  apparently,  fresh,  —  there  is  no  moss- 
grown  air  of  antiquity  about  them.  This  freshness  is  such  as 
to  induce  the  feeling  that  the  operatives  have  merely  left  for 
dinner.  It  should  be  recollected  that  all  these  extraordinary 
displays  of  energy  and  skill  in  quarrying  stone,  equal  to  the 
finest  specimens  of  this  age,  were  produced  with  copper  tools, 
—  iron  and  steel  being  quite  unknown.  The  tempering  of 
that  metal  is  a  lost  art. 

We  here  found  one  of  the  apples  of  Sodom,  which  is  a  gigan- 
tic milkweed.  The  pod,  containing  the  seed  and  silk,  was 
shaped  like  a  peach,  being  two  inches  in  diameter.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  the  seeds  to  New  England. 

Immediately  after  dining,  we  came  to  Edfou,  —  the  ancient 
ApoUinopolis,  —  where  there  is  another  immense  temple,  sur- 
rounded by  a  heavy  hewn-stone  wall,  beautiful  and  massive. 
No  such  workmanship  is  anywhere  else  displayed,  where  I  have 
ranged  abroad,  on  four  continents.  The  towers  of  the  gateway 
quite  overwhelmed  me  with  their  majestic  proportions,  —  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  Without  a  measuring- 
line,  or  measure  of  any  kind,  we  could  only  judge  of  the  relative 
heights,  and  other  dimensions,  of  these  great  ruins.  Not  wish- 
ing to  be  minute  in  detail,  —  as  it  was  not  my  intention  to 
write  for  the  guidance  of  architects,  —  it  did  not  seem  important 
to  attend  to  these  particulars.  Had  we  attempted  to  give  the 
exact  size  and  height  of  all  we  saw,  a  single  temple  would  have 
required  half  the  season  for  its  accomplishment ;  and,  at  the  end 
of  three  years,  the  business  would  have  scarcely  commenced. 

All  the  sculpturings  on  the  walls  and  massive  pillars  —  the 
little  of  them  not  concealed  by  tilth  and  sand  — are  exquisite 
and  marvellous,  as  everything  is  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile  that 
has  survived  the  wreck  of  ages  to  these  latter  days.     This  was 


192  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

a  priestly  citadel,  to  my  apprehension,  in  which  the  cunning 
occupants  were  safe  from  attacks  without,  of  political  enemies; 
while  the  paintings,  statues,  figures,  and  a  gorgeous  worship  of 
the  gods  of  the  people,  quite  overawed,  and  made  manageable, 
the  masses  of  superstitious  beings  dwelling  around  its  sacred 
precincts.  The  noble  court,  and  all  covered  apartments, — 
such  as  the  world  is  challenged  to  produce  elsewhere,  —  might 
all  be  cleared  out.  Sand  has  accumulated  outside,  so  as  quite 
to  hide  its  western  side ;  and  a  mound  has  gradually  accu- 
mulated at  the  top  of  that,  so  that  the  remnants  of  mud 
houses,  pottery  and  bricks,  have  contributed  to  raise  it  full  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground-plot  of  the 
temple,  at  the  period  of  its  erection.  Arabs  have  actually  set 
their  hovels  on  the  roof  of  this  magnificent  ruin ;  and,  in  fact, 
families  are  nestling,  like  rooks,  all  over  it,  —  pouring  out  their 
daily  accumulations  of  filth,  to  augment  and  cement  the  masses 
already  there. 

Some  Bedouin  Arabs  were  at  Edfou,  from  the  interior  of  the 
Libyan  Desert,  —  a  wild,  sinewy  race  of  restless  men.  A  poor, 
sick  Arab  accosted  me,  on  the  wall,  for  assistance,  who  appeared 
to  be  suffering  dreadfully  from  a  stone  in  the  bladder.  It  was 
impossible  to  give  him  even  temporary  relief.  I  saw  a  man 
making  a  spike,  in  front  of  the  temple,  in  a  tiny  charcoal  fire, 
blown  by  an  instrument  composed  of  two  skins  tied  to  an  iron 
pipe.  A  woman  raised  first  one  and  then  the  other,  alternately, 
and  pressed  them  down  to  the  ground  to  squeeze  the  wind  out. 
This  is  a  specimen  of  the  useful  arts  at  Edfou,  the  beautiful. 

Saltpetre  works,  extensive  as  they  are  at  Dendera,  have  been 
abandoned  at  Edfou.  All  the  old  mounds  yield  that  salt  in 
abundance ;  and  if  the  pasha  would  lease  or  sell  the  right  to 
manufacture  it  to  a  company  with  a  small  capital,  a  handsome 
profit  might  be  realized. 


ESNE.  193 

Dec.  lOtk.  Tuesday.  —  Immediately  on  arriving  at  Esne, 
we  passed  through  the  bazaar,  at  the  top  of  a  mound,  that  con- 
ceals a  beautiful  temple,  into  which  a  descent  is  made  by  rude 
stairs.  I  was  lost  in  admiration  and  renewed  astonishment  at 
the  achievements  of  these  old  temple-builders.  A  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  town  is  a  modern  two-story  house,  of  wood  and 
stone,  having  blinds  over  the  harem  windows.  It  is  called  a 
palace;  and  it  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  garden,  which  we  paid 
a  fee  for  entering.  This  was  like  all  modern  Egj'ptian  gardens, 
stiflf  and  formal,  —  containing  no  great  variety  of  flowers,  a  few 
orange-trees  and  tamarasks,  with  rivulets  of  water  running  to 
the  roots  of  all  the  plants,  drawn  up  at  a  sakkia,  by  oxen,  near 
the  river.  There  were  some  figs,  also,  nearly  ripe,  which  are 
not  common  so  far  up  the  Nile.  Weaving  was  going  on  in  the 
narrow  streets.  We  noticed  a  young  fellow  industriously 
weaving,  in  front  of  a  mud  hovel,  a  red  border  into  the  fringe 
of  a  shawl.  Mohammed  All's  cotton-factory  is  no  longer  in 
operation  at  Esne.  Some  of  the  machinery  was  lying  on  the 
ground,  perishing  as  fast  as  rust  can  destroy  it. 

On  the  return  to  the  boat,  a  house  was  passed  where  a 
number  of  women  were  howling  with  a  vehemence  that  led  to 
the  conclusion  that  a  death  might  have  just  occurred.  They 
were  seated  on  the  floor,  and  making  a  shocking  outcry.  There 
were  several  mummy-cases,  with  mummies  in  them,  lying  by 
the  side  of  the  passage  into  the  subterraneari  temple;  but  the 
police,  or  whoever  they  were,  accompanying  us,  were  shocked 
at  the  idea  of  raising  the  lid  of  one  of  them,  for  a  look  at  the 
contents.  One  of  them  sputtered  and  gesticulated  with  suffi- 
cient violence  to  induce  us  to  desist. 

About  six  miles  from  Esne,  we  passed  a  large  party  of 
desert  Bedouins.  Their  camels  were  unladen,  asses  at  liberty, 
and  immense  masses  of  packages  were  heaped  up  near  the 
17 


194  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT, 

river.  Women,  children  and  slaves,  were  roaming  about,  ia 
the  enjoyment  of  the  best  and  richest  of  all  sights  to  them,  — 
the  water,  in  inexhaustible  quantity.  Mat-bags,  standing  on 
end  upon  the  sand,  probably  contained  their  provisions  and 
domestic  effects. 

Dec.  11.  Wednesday.  —  At  Thebes.  The  last  was  a  tem- 
pestuous night,  of  high,  dry  wind.  I  was  quite  nauseated  with 
the  surging  of  the  boat,  and  had  some  fear  it  might  capsize. 
Early  this  morning,  we  crossed  the  river  from  Luxor  to  the 
west  side,  to  explore  Thebes,  —  the  wonder  of  ages,  and  admir- 
ation of  travellers,  from  the  first  knowledge  we  have  of  the 
existence  of  its  mighty  edifices.  Having  examined  the  temples 
nearest  to  the  landing,  we  wound  along  between  the  bold 
mountains,  over  a  wide  road,  that  had  been  excavated  thousands 
of  years,  by  which  the  bodies  of  regal  tenants  of  the  costly 
tombs  beyond  had  been  conveyed.  I  can  conceive  of  the 
imposing  appearance  of  the  wailing  multitudes  that  thronged 
this  winding  way  of  the  dead,  when  the  priesthood,  in  the 
meridian  of  its  political  influence,  as  the  machine  of  state,  in 
gorgeous  apparel,  overawed  the  assembled  thousands.  A  mul- 
titude crowned  the  hill-tops  to  witness  the  grand  spectacle  of 
conveying  the  beloved  of  the  gods  to  one  of  the  dark,  deep 
receptacles  cut  into  the  solid  rock,  beneath  the  mountains. 
Thebes,  the  magnificent,  —  filled  with  architectural  glories,  — 
was,  in  part,  defended  by  the  mountains  from  the  advancing 
sands  of  the  Libyan  Desert,  which,  like  the  cohorts  of  a  Roman 
army,  could  only  be  restrained  by  barriers  interposed  by  nature, 
but  never  by  the  resistance  of  opposing  man.  It  was  full  four 
miles  to  the  mouths  of  the  tombs,  which,  for  convenience,  are 
numbered.  Nos.  14,  2,  10,  35,  and  some  others  not  recollected, 
were  thoroughly  examined;  and  my  astonishment  was  increased 
by  what  I  saw,  quite  beyond  all  previous  conceptions  of  the 


TO  JIBS    CUT   IN    THE   ROCK. 


195 


indefatigable  efforts  of  those  wonderful  people,  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  We  came  square  up  to  the  foot  of  a  spur  of  a 
mountain,  at  the  end  of  a  path  that  branched  off  from  the  com- 
mon highway.  By  digging  down  five,  six,  and,  perhaps,  ten 
feet,  through  sand,  flint  pebbles  and  shingle,  that  appeared  to 
have  sifted  down  the  side  of  the  mountain  from  above,  there 
was  a  regular  square  doorway,  the  lintels  being  well  wrought. 
We  then  descended  an  inclined  plane,  till  the  first  apartment, 
as  a  general  example,  was  fifty  feet  below  the  road-level  above 
the  entrance.  On  each  side,  descending  the  stairs,  were  little 
rooms,  hewn  into  the  rock,  in  which  the  walls  of  some — and,  in 
fact,  all,  to  some  extent — were  covered  with  painted  illustrations 
of  the  every-day  occupations  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  period 
when  they  were  executed.  The  colors  of  red,  green,  blue, 
yellow,  &c.,  were  vivid,  and  not  faintly  obscure,  leaving  it  for 
the  imagination  to  complete  the  outline,  or  fill  up  the  details. 


INTEWOK  OF   PICTUKED   TOMB. 


We  kept  descending,  on  an  easy  inclination,  from  one  large, 
beautifully  cut,  carved  and  finished  room  to  another,  —  three 
hundred  and  twenty  feet,  in  one  of  them,  in  a  horizontal  line. 
They  are  cut  into  a  porous  limestone,  in  which  flint  pebbles  are 
strewn  in  profusion,  of  sizes  from  a  pea  to  irregular  nodules  of 
a  foot  long  and  six  inches  in  thickness.  It  must  have  been 
excessively  difficult,  therefore,  to  cut  through  them.  Some 
of  the  walls  were  polished  to  the  smoothness  of  glass  by  being 


196  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

covered  with  a  fine  cement,  not  very  dissimilar  to  enamel,  on 
the  surface  of  which  are  raised  figures,  numerous,  beyond  all 
attempts  at  computation.  Their  finish  is  exquisite,  compli- 
cated, and  difficult  to  copy,  or  even  imitate.  All  the  way  to 
these  royal  tombs  there  are  mummy-pits,  of  which  the  Arabs 
find  the  mouth  by  digging  through  debris.  The  bodies  of  the 
old  masons  and  artists  who  accomplished  the  beautiful,  sur- 
prising, and  enduring  works  in  the  neighborhood,  are  dragged 
out  by  hundreds,  and  broken  up,  with  the  hope  of  finding  some- 
thing valuable  on  their  persons. 

These  elaborate  subterranean  structures  are  without  parallel 
in  the  world.  The  long  reign  of  a  king  scarcely  gave  sufficient 
time  to  complete  a  place  for  his  interment.  There  was  an 
evident  design  of  concealment,  when  once  finished,  by  crumb- 
ling down  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  so  as  to  efTectually  hide 
the  opening;  and  this  too  rendered  it  extremely  difiicult  to 
penetrate  the  fallen  mass,  Avere  the  locality  suspected  or  kno\Aii. 

It  appears  to  have  been  the  leading  ambition  of  life,  from  the 
monarch  on  the  throne  to  the  slave  chained  to  the  oar,  in  Ancient 
Egypt,  to  prepare  for  a  comfortable  resting-place  in  death. 
Nothing  short  of  the  resources  of  an  absolute  king,  in  such  a 
country,  could  have  commanded  the  means  necessary  to  carry 
on  to  completion  several  of  the  Theban  tombs  now  open  for 
inspection.  Probably  the  various  mechanics  and  artists  em- 
ployed in  them  devoted  their  entire  existence  to  the  particular 
sepulchre  on  which  their  skill  was  displayed.  They  must  inva- 
riably have  conducted  all  their  labors  by  lamp-light,  since  there 
could  have  been  no  possible  way  for  the  sun's  rays  to  penetrate 
more  than  a  short  distance  into  the  tomb.  No  such  things  as 
perpendicular  shafts  from  above,  for  the  introduction  of  light  and 
air,  were  adopted.  In  fact,  the  depth  —  hundreds  of  feet,  from 
the  surface   to  the  excavation  beneath—  forbids  the   idea   of 


BELZONl'S   TOMB.  197 

those  modem  inventions.  Tlie  air  was  perfectly  good  in  every 
one  we  visited,  the  temperature  being  but  a  trifle  higher  than 
the  ordinary  degree  of  heat  above  ground. 

It  is  a  source  of  wonder  with  me  what  became  of  the  pro- 
digious amount  of  material  that  must  have  been  brought  out 
in  baskets,  probably  by  slaves  and  state  prisoners,  as  fast  as  the 
stone-cutters  liberated  it.  The  quantity  taken  from  the  seven- 
teen gigantic  tombs  of  the  first  class  would  have  been  quite 
sufficient  to  have  made  a  tolerable-sized  artificial  mountain. 

Beyond  all  doubt,  there  are  very  many  more  of  these  costly 
abodes  of  the  dead,  which  may  elude  discovery  even  hundreds 
of  years  to  come,  rich  in  resources  illustrative  of  the  condition 
of  the  arts  and  of  society  at  periods  even  more  remote  than  the 
learned  have  contemplated.  Even  if  coeval,  or  nearly  so,  with 
those  that  have  been  laid  open  to  inspection,  if  found  in  good 
condition,  they  may  prove  of  infinite  value  in  supplying  lost 
links  in  the  long  line  of  Eg}^ptian  history. 

Actuated  by  a  well-grounded  belief  that  there  were  more 
tombs  than  had  been  discovered,  Belzoni  commenced  a  series 
of  energetic  researches ;  and,  by  vigorously  attacking  the  moun- 
tain sides  in  the  gloomy  gorges,  where  several  were  detected, 
he  succeeded  in  finding  one  that  quite  threw  into  the  shade  the 
labors  of  his  predecessors.  Travellers  —  for  the  sake  of  order, 
and  for  facilitating  the  progress  of  strangers  who  go  up  to  the 
valley  of  the  tombs  —  have  numbered  them  over  the  door. 
No.  17  is  called  Belzoni's,  by  common  consent,  in  memory  of 
the  indefatigable  discoverer.  In  all  respects,  the  character  of 
this  particular  tomb  is  so  remarkable,  that  it  would  be  inexcus- 
able not  to  give  some  particulars  of  the  interior  arrangement. 
Others  have  their  attraction,  also ;  and,  when  fully  described, 
are  no  less  objects  of  profound  meditation. 

In   Belzoni's   tomb   there  is  a  flight   of  steps   descending 
17* 


198  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

twenty-four  feet,  on  a  horizontal  line  of  twenty-nine  feet.  Next, 
there  is  a  passage,  eighteen  and  a  half  feet  by  nine.  Going 
through  a  door,  there  is  another  stair-case,  descending  twenty- 
five  feet.  Then  we  came  to  two  doors,  and  another  passage 
twenty-nine  feet  in  length,  by  which  a  chamber  was  entered, 
fourteen  feet  by  twelve,  where  was  a  deep  pit,  now  filled.  To 
any  person  less  ardent  and  determined  than  the  intrepid  Bel- 
zoni,  this  point  would  have  been  considered,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  the  terminus  of  the  tomb.  The  pit  was  intended  for 
a  deception  by  the  architect,  and  was  admirably  calculated  to 
put  an  end  to  all  further  research  beyond.  A  wall  of  huge 
hewn  stones  gave  a  fine  finish,  and  covered  up,  as  might 
generally  have  been  supposed,  the  rough  cuttings  of  the  stone. 
However,  by  striking  it,  evidence  was  obtained  of  space  beyond. 
He  soon  forced  an  opening,  and  thus  gained  access  to  apart- 
ments which  had  been  hermetically  sealed  from  the  action  of 
the  elements,  and  from  human  eyes,  all  of  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  ten  years.  It  was  the  burial-place  of  Osirei,  who 
was  made  King  of  Egypt  1385  years  before  Christ.  He  was 
the  father  of  Rameses  II.,  who  ascended  the  throne  of  his 
father  1355  years  before  our  epoch. 

Beyond  the  wall  is  a  grand  hall,  twenty-six  feet  square,  the 
roof  being  sustained  by  four  pillars,  covered,  as  are  the  walls  of 
the  apartment,  with  sculptured  figures.  A  second  hall  follows, 
of  nearly  the  same  size,  the  roof  supported  by  two  columns,  not 
finished.  Another  stair-case  descends  from  the  first  hall.  Two 
more  passages  followed,  and  then  we  entered  a  room  seventeen 
by  fourteen  feet,  from  which  there  was  an  entrance,  through  a 
door,  into  another  splendid  apartment,  twenty-seven  feet  square, 
the  weight  above  sustained  by  six  pillars,  —  the  original  rock, 
—  left  standing  by  cutting  away  about  them.  Then  there 
was  still  another  chamber,  vaulted,  nineteen  feet  by  thirty,  in 


i 


RELIEFS    UPON    THE   TOMBS.  199 

the  centre  of  which  was,  when  first  opened,  an  alabaster  sar- 
cophagus. A  stairway,  each  side,  goes  down  still  further  into 
the  hard  rock,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Since  the  eventful 
day  of  the  discovery,  some  of  the  rooms  have  suffered  prodi- 
giously by  the  depredations  of  visiters ;  some  places  have  fallen* 
in,  and  an  air  of  ruinous  progress  is  noticeable.  The  royal 
body  was  unquestionably  stolen  by  the  priests,  immediately 
after  its  interment,  for  the  treasures  deposited  with  it.  Sev- 
eral of  the  tombs  have  in  them  enormous  granite  coffins ;  the 
very  lid  of  one  we  examined  would  require  the  united  strength 
of  fifty  men,  lifting  by  their  fingers,  to  replace  it  over  the  sar- 
cophagus, from  whence  it  was  no  doubt  thrown  for  the  sake  of 
pillaging  within. 

Were  an  attempt  made  to  describe  the  reliefs,  endless  in 
number  and  design,  in  this  or  other  tombs  of  the  old  despots 
who  were  buried  in  them,  it  would  swell  my  journal  to  unwieldy 
dimensions.  The  interior  finish  is  by  far  the  most  extraordi- 
nary part  of  them.  A  very  common  stone-cutter  might  have 
picked  his  course  into  the  bowels  of  the  mountains ;  but  it 
required  an  experienced  artist  to  delineate  the  multitudinous 
groups  of  figures  raised  above  the  common  plane  of  the  ceiling, 
and  to  design  and  execute  the  painted  scenes. 

It  is  a  sickening  sight  to  see  the  ground  strewn  with  skulls, 
trunks,  thigh-bones,  hands,  feet,  ribs,  jaws  and  teeth,  which  the 
hyenas  drag  and  gnaw,  and  then  abandon,  as  the  reckless 
Arabs  do,  when  they  can  extract  nothing  from  them  that  -will 
gratify  cupidity  on  the  one  hand,  or  a  ravenous  animal  appetite 
on  the  other.  The  collections,  or  rather  drifts,  of  mummy- 
cloth,  torn  from  the  bodies,  and  thrown  about  by  the  winds,  is 
also  a  sight  sickening  and  shocking,  when  taken  in  connection 
with  the  purposes  to  which  it  was  appropriated,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances which  have  once  more  exposed  it  to  the  glare  of 


200  A   PILGIUMAGE   TO   EGVX'T. 

human  eyes.  If  any  merchant  chose  to  offer  a  mere  trifle  for 
the  cotton  cloth  that  might  be  picked  up  at  Sakkara  and 
Thebes,  —  and  which  will  increase  rather  than  diminish,  —  the 
speculation  would  be  a  productive  one,  for  paper-rags.  I 
Inspected  the  texture  of  this  cloth,  —  the  thread,  the  twist  of  it, 
and  the  general  character  of  the  web,  for  it  is  of  all  degrees  of 
fineness,  —  and  I  am  constrained  to  declare  that  it  equals,  in 
all  respects,  the  cottons  from  the  best  English  and  American 
mills.  I  did  not  detect  linen  in  a  single  instance.  The  quan- 
tity presupposes  an  active  cotton-manufacturing  population ; 
for  the  millions  of  yards  still  under  ground,  in  a  perfect  condi- 
tion, must  far  exceed  the  amount  exposed.  For  more  than  one, 
and,  it  may  be,  two  thousand  years,  these  sacrilegious  depre- 
dations of  the  wild  men  of  the  deserts  have  been  going  on. 
They  plunder  the  graves  for  the  treasures  they  may  find. 
Ancient  jewelry  is  thus  recovered,  and  to  a  remunerating 
amount,  or  the  business  would  not  have  been  continued 
through  forty  generations.  The  signet-ring  of  Cheops,  the 
builder  of  the  great  pyramid  of  Geezeh,  was  singularly 
obtained  by  these  grave-thieves.  Feet,  hands,  and  other  parts 
of  bodies,  were  offered  for  sale  by  a  few  straggling  Arabs,  who 
followed  in  our  wake. 

Should  I  attempt  a  description  of  the  multitudinous  and  elab- 
orate remains  of  the  most  superb  edifices  that  were  ever  proba- 
bly made  of  stone,  no  adequate  idea  would  be  conveyed ;  and  I 
feel  it  proper  to  say,  once  for  all,  that  whatever  there  is  on  the 
surface  remaining  of  the  works  at  Thebes,  however  thoroughly 
they  m.ay  be  examined,  cannot  be  delineated.  Where  these 
blocks  came  from,  how  they  were  managed  at  all,  and  who 
could  have  conceived  the  idea  of  grappling  with  such  gigantic 
masses,  is  quite  beyond  comprehension.  One  single  statue,  of 
red  granite,  overturned,  and  broken  in  several  pieces,  must 


GEOLOGICAL   FORMATION    OP    MOUNTAINS.  201 

have  been  transported  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles, 
either  before  or  after  being  finished.  In  its  perfect  condition, 
it  has  been  computed  to  have  weighed  over  eight  hundred  tons. 
Its  body  was  of  the  diameter  of  a  tolerable-sized  house.  A  bit 
of  it  was  broken  off,  and  brought  away.  We  also  obtained  a 
piece  of  the  vocal  statue,  from  the  middle  of  the  instep  of  the 
left  foot.  It  is  covered  by  faint  Greek  inscriptions,  and  frac- 
tured quite  through.  After  wandering  over  and  among  the 
ruins,  and  wondering,  and  scarcely  crediting  the  revelations 
made  to  our  eyes,  we  retraced  our  steps  to  the  boat.  Through- 
out, the  mountains,  in  the  region  of  the  tombs,  are  filled  with 
sea-shells,  of  various  sizes  and  forms.  They  are  as  solid  as 
stone ;  and  show  that  this  was  once  the  bottom  of  the  ocean, 
and  that  these  animals  lived  in  the  water  that  covered  the 
land.  The  petrifactions  of  shells  are  sufficiently  remarkable 
to  give  employment  to  geologists  for  some  time,  before  they  can 
define  the  period  when  Thebes  was  elevated  from  the  sea.  We 
noticed,  in  some  of  the  great  blocks  of  stone,  in  the  pyramids 
of  Geezeh,  ammonites  of  good  size.  The  shells,  therefore,  are 
venerable,  for  they  were  formed  before  the  stone  in  which  they 
are  imbedded. 

Among  the  lounging,  straggling,  idle  Arabs  who  followed  us 
wherever  we  happened  to  turn,  importuning  us  to  buy  their 
antiques,  —  chiefly  sacred  beetles,  and  small  bronze  figures, 
—  was  a  man  who  evidently  felt  himself  a  little  superior  to 
those  about  him,  for  he  spoke  of  his  planted  ground,  and  his 
general  prosperity,  as  he  had  four  wives,  ten  boys,  and  five 
horses.  Our  guide,  a  tall,  spare  Arab,  of  about  fifty,  was 
induced  to  speak  of  his  condition,  also,  on  perceiving  that  an 
interest  was  taken  in  the  observations  of  his  neighbor.  He 
had  only  two  wives,  and  five  children ;  one  of  the  women  was 
moosh-tibe,  —  that  is,  bad.     On  returning  to  the  boat,  a  com- 


202  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

pany  of  dancing-girls,  with  cj^mbals,  bells  in  their  girdles,  and 
other  apparatus  belonging  to  their  profession,  were  paraded  on 
the  wet  sand,  accompanied  by  a  tambourine-player,  and  a  per- 
former on  the  two-stringed  fiddle.  They  gesticulated  to  the 
worth  of  a  few  paras,  and  then  retired.  The  cheapest  way  of 
getting  rid  of  unpleasant  company,  at  all  times,  was  to  pay 
them  for  going  away. 

Some  of  the  first  apartments  of  tombs  nearest  to  the  ruins 
are  occupied  as  dwellings  by  the  present  Thebans.  In  one  — 
a  room  nearly,  if  not  quite,  a  hundred  feet  in  length  —  was  the 
home  of  a  flock  of  sheep.  A  woman,  who  lived  in  the  mouth 
of  another  sepulchre,  on  which  were  the  remains  of  ancient 
paintings,  became  very  importunate  for  backshiesh.  Pay  these 
people  their  price  for  any  service  or  privilege,  and,  unless  they 
have  backshiesh  over  and  above,  they  are  quite  as  dissatisfied 
as  they  apparently  would  be  had  they  nothing  at  all. 

Dec.  \2th.  Thursday.  —  Visited  the  tombs  of  Thebes,  as 
numbered  in  the  work  of  Sir  Gardiner  Wilkinson,  17,  9,  11, 
14,  15,  6 ;  and  I  am  at  a  loss  for  language  to  indicate  my 
gratification.  If  the  ruins  before  us  excited  perpetual  exclama- 
tions of  wonder  and  surprise,  the  tombs  explored  made  us  dumb 
for  want  of  new  expressions.  Being  without  parallel  in  the 
whole  world,  it  is  not  probable  they  will  ever  be  either  imitated 
or  excelled  in  any  subsequent  age.  A  succession  of  surprises 
met  us  at  every  step,  in  Egypt.  A  second  time  we  went  for 
an  examination  of  the  temples.  It  is  an  event  in  a  man's  life 
to  have  seen  them  at  all ;  therefore  we  concluded  to  acquire  a 
correct  idea  of  the  original  plan,  with  an  exact  knowledge  of 
the  present  condition  of  the  whole.  An  English  gentleman,  by 
the  name  of  Smith,  joined  our  party  on  the  way,  and  our 
researches  were  conducted  jointly.  We  went  together  to  the 
celebrated  tomb  discovered  by  Belzoni.     On  our  slow  march, 


1 


RUINS   OF    KARNAK.  203 

we  saw  a  jackal,  looking  down  from  a  high  elevation  to  the 
necropolis  below,  as  though  he  would  like  a  bone  to  pick  of  one 
of  the  company.  Having  completed  the  survey,  the  party 
became  separated ;  so  that  I  found  myself  alone  with  the 
donkey-driver.  Two  small  Arab  boys  followed,  on  foot,  all 
day,  with  a  little  jar  of  water,  —  ofTering  it  whenever  we  came 
to  a  halt.  I  gave  them  hard  biscuit  and  dates,  occasionally, 
and  next  pursued  the  way  to  the  river.  Two  sailors  were 
sporting  with  a  small  boat,  who  were  pressed  to  land  me  across 
the  Nile,  opposite  the  vast  accumulation  of  Cyclopaean  ruins  at 
Karnak,  a  mile  and  a  half  below  Luxor.  I  scrambled  over 
fields,  leaped  dykes,  and  skulked  out  of  sight  of  Arabs  at  work, 
—  passing  several  women  tending  goats,  —  and  ultimately 
came  suddenly  upon  the  mightiest  of  all  ruins  yet  contemplated. 
It  was  perfectly  overwhelming  to  look  upon  such  mountains 
of  hewn  stone,  lofty  gateways,  splendid  columns,  —  standing 
with  the  irregularity,  apparently,  of  forest  trees.  Some  obe- 
lisks are  still  standing,  towering  towards  the  skies,  solitary  and 
alone,  yet  bearing  on  their  polished  sides,  in  bold  characters, 
the  whole  story,  perhaps,  of  Karnak,  which  no  one  can  satis- 
factorily read  or  comprehend.  Many  are  broken.  They  throw 
into  the  shade  all  other  remains  in  Egypt ;  and  Karnak  may 
justly  be  called  the  tomb  of  architecture. 

It  was  thought,  on  the  whole,  a  hazardous  feat  to  visit  Kar- 
nak alone,  as  I  did,  —  wandering  from  one  extremity  of  the 
fallen  majesty  of  sculptured  stone  to  another;  and,  finally, 
trudging  up  to  Luxor  without  a  guide,  save  the  remnant  of  two 
rows  of  sphinxes,  that  once  lined  the  whole  way.  They  are 
nearly  all  destroyed.  Some  have  no  headsj  others  no  bodies ; 
and  a  few  more  years  will  utterly  obliterate  the  last  vestiges 
of  the  most  imposing  and  lofty  designs  ever  executed  to  give 
effect,  splendor  and  majesty,  to  a  place  of  worship.     St.  Peter's, 


204  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

at  Rome,  is  a  toy,  a  mere  tinsel  plaything,  compared  to  the 
overwhelming  grandeur  of  forsaken  Karnak. 

When  I  got  to  the  boat,  a  large,  swarthy  Arab,  in  a  big  tur- 
ban, Avas  sitting,  with  a  small  boy,  by  the  side  of  a  conical 
basket.  He  rose,  offered  me  his  hand,  and  said  that  he  had 
heard  I  was  a  hakem  from  the  New  World.  He  further 
observed  that  he  was  a  doctor,  also.  He  was  a  native  snake- 
charmer,  one  of  the  Psilli,  —  a  race  of  ancient  renown.  Run- 
ning his  hand  into  the  basket,  he  drew  out  an  adder,  a  yard  in 
length,  opened  his  own  mouth,  and  tucked  the  head  of  the 
resisting  reptile  in,  coil  after  coil,  till  there  was  no  more  room  ; 
when,  by  the  tail,  he  slowly  drew  it  out.  The  eyes  of  the 
snake  sparkled,  and  his  forked  tongue  played  like  flashes  of 
light,  when  the  operator  laid  it  down  on  deck.  Directly  the 
serpent  raised  its  head  an  inch  or  two,  when  the  Arab  shook 
his  finger,  muttered  an  incantation,  and  down  went  the  snake, 
as  though  dead.  He  then  tied  it  in  knots,  twined  it  round 
his  own  neck,  and  performed  other  feats,  that  made  me  keep  a 
bright  look-out  lest  I  should  get  bitten  in  some  careless  mo- 
ment. He  assured  me  he  could  call  any  serpent  from  the 
crevices  in  the  rocks,  or  wherever  they  might  be,  and  handle 
them  with  impunity.  They  would  be  quite  as  obedient,  he 
declared,  at  first  sight,  as  after  being  in  his  possession.  He 
was  anxious  for  an  engagement  to  go  into  the  barrans,  among 
the  boulders,  back  of  the  town,  to  call  the  snakes  out,  the 
next  day.  The  boy  who  was  with  him  handled  all  those  in 
the  basket  with  perfect  freedom.  Soon  after,  my  friends  — 
Messrs.  Holland  and  Warren  —  came  up,  and  five  small,  whip- 
lash-looking snakes,  in  ringed  folds,  were  drawn  forth.  Being 
straightened,  by  strokes  of  the  hand,  till  they  were  parallel,  the 
Arab  suddenly  put  the  hank  of  vital  cords  round  the  neck  of 
Mr.  Holland.     There  they  hung,  while  their  tongues  and  tails 


SERPENTS    IN    EGYPT.  205 

indicated  an  activity  that  shocked  me.  I  told  him  we  were  not 
so  accomplished  in  America  as  the  hakems  were  in  Egypt,  if 
this  was  to  be  considered  an  accomplishment ;  nor  had  the 
profession  been  driven  to  the  necessity  of  eating  snakes,  how- 
ever much  in  danger  they  might  be  of  eating  each  other,  at  the 
rate  they  were  multiplying  when  I  left  home. 


Serpents  not  only  quarter  themselves  in  gardens,  and  about 
the  mounds  of  rubbish  in  the  villages  and  tovras  of  Egypt,  but 
actually  ensconce  themselves  in  dwelling-houses,  from  whence 
it  is  extremely  difficult  to  dislodge  them,  without  the  assistance 
of  the  Psilli,  or  snake-charmers.  A  physician  of  Cairo  told  me 
that  two  tolerably  large  serpents  were  in  his  garden  ;  but  they 
eluded  all  his  attempts  to  kill  them,  and  he  supposed  it  would 
be  necessary  to  send  for  one  of  the  regular  craft  to  entrap  them. 
A  few  weeks  before  this  was  related,  he  further  observed  tha4 
a  snake-charmer  was  accidentally  bitten  by  a  small,  venomous 
snake  that  he  exhibited;  and,  although  the  wounded  man 
applied  to  him  immediately,  the  action  of  the  poison  could  not 
be  arrested,  and  the  poor  fellow  died  in  agony.  He  supposed 
18 


206  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

there  must  have  been  some  remissness  on  the  part  of  the  exhib- 
iter,  for  the  occurrence  was  a  rare  one. 

Dec.  \2th..  Friday.  —  In  good  season,  this  morning,  I  again 
visited  Karnak,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Holland  and  Warren. 
Two  impudent  Arabs  requested  to  be  taken  into  service  for  the 
day,  as  guides;  but  my  experience  yesterday  showed  it  was 
quite  unnecessary.  They  insisted  upon  going,  which  we  firmly 
forbade.  One  of  them,  with  an  expectation  of  alarming  us, 
assumed  a  dictatorial  tone,  and  ordered  us  to  return  forthwith 
to  the  boat,  —  declaring  he  would  complain  to  the  governor, 
who  would  send  twenty  men  to  arrest  us  for  disobedience  to  his 
commands.  He  could  not  have  been  familiar  with  Yankee 
character;  for  himself,  the  whole  population  of  Luxor,  and  the 
pasha  into  the  bargain,  were  defied,  and  invited  to  come  on, — 
the  sooner  the  better.  The  rascals  sneaked  away,  and  no  fur- 
ther molestation  was  offered.  We  leisurely  surveyed  the  con- 
fused ruins, —  far  more  extensive  and  important  than  any  others 
in  the  world,  in  our  humble  estimation.  There  is  stone  enough 
quarried,  of  all  sizes,  shapes  and  dimensions,  to  build  a  great 
city;  and  yet  it  all  belonged  to  a  series  of  grand  and  lofty 
edifices,  which,  collectively,  were  a  single  temple.  I  have  been 
as  much  lost  in  astonishment,  in  contemplating  the  character 
of  the  old  Egyptian  mind,  as  in  these  enduring  monuments  of 
their  taste  and  mechanical  skill.  To  me,  the  genius  of  the 
first  architects  who  have  ever  lived,  with  whose  works  and 
designs  we  are  acquainted,  fall  infinitely  below  the  crumbling 
memorials  at  Edfou,  Thebes,  Luxor,  and  Karnak.  I  have 
been  upon  the  Acropolis  of  Athens,  and  meditated  on  the 
classical  ruins  of  the  Parthenon,  the  Erecthseum,  the  temple 
of  Theseus,  and  the  noble  and  solemn  grandeur  of  all  that  has 
withstood  the  combined  assaults  of  time,  the  elements,  and  man 
in  his  fury,  —  and  they  are  all  insignificant,  simple  and  trifling, 


FOXES    AMONG    RUINS.  207 

compared  to  the  conception  and  completion  of  the  massive, 
extensive,  noble,  beautiful  and  dignified  combination  of  walls, 
columns,  sculptures,  symbols,  and  architectural  glories,  on  the 
wretched,  forsaken  plain  of  Karnak.  Even  the  Temple  of 
Jupiter  Olympus  —  a  fit  habitation  for  the  presiding  god  of  the 
Greeks  —  was  but  a  dog-kennel,  in  the  meridian  of  original 
splendor,  in  comparison  with  the  loftier,  grander  parliament- 
house  of  the  gods  of  Egj-pt.  And  yet  Karnak,  Thebes,  Luxor, 
Memphis,  Abydos,  and  Heliopolis,  were  all  neglected  and 
decaying  before  Greece  or  Rome  had  been  moulded  into  nations. 
Surely  the  transcendant  energ}',  skill,  civilization  and  intellect- 
uality, of  the  early  Egj-ptians,  is  neither  understood  nor  appre- 
ciated. 

While  sauntering  round  the  overturned  walls,  broken  pillars, 
and  upturned  obelisks,  two  gray  foxes  were  leaping  over  the 
apartments  where  none  but  the  feet  of  kings  and  royal  priests 
were  permitted  to  tread,  before  all  the  beauty,  sanctity  and 
majesty  of  Karnak,  became  the  hiding-place  for  reptiles,  and 
man  refused  to  remain  where  the  gods  were  once  supposed  to 
have  a  local  habitation.  We  followed  them  till  they  skulked 
away  between  some  fallen  capitals,  or  columns,  —  it  is  not 
essential  to  remember  which,  since  the  degradation  is  suffi- 
ciently obvious,  without  particularizing  the  dens  of  reptiles  and 
rapacious  animals. 

I  picked  up  the  skin  of  a  serpent  five  feet  long,  in  what  is 
designated  the  lying-in  room  of  a  royal  temple,  near  the  tombs, 
in  Thebes.  We  looked  about  warily,  for  fear  of  stepping  on  the 
venomous  creature  that  had  shed  it,  now  the  tenant  of  the 
birth-room,  perhaps,  of  some  of  the  Pharaohs  ! 

An  English  gentleman,  in  goggles,  was  met  to-day,  whom  I 
saw  at  Karnak  yesterday,  with  whom  we  held  pleasant  con- 
versation. 


208  A    PILGKIJIAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Returning  to  Luxor  in  the  faintly-defined  avenue  that  was 
doubtless  once  guarded  by  sphinxes  all  the  way,  we  came  to 
an  extensive  saltpetre  manufactory.  Vats  are  dug,  and  ceiled 
with  plaster,  to  make  them  tight,  —  covering  an  acre  and  a 
half.  The  light,  rich,  black  mould,  gathered  within  and  about 
the  ruins  of  Karnak,  shovelled  up  with  the  bare  hands,  and  not 
with  shovels,  —  tools  not  being  procurable,  —  is  carried,  in 
baskets,  on  the  backs  of  donkeys,  to  the  works.  There  it  is 
leached,  and  the  strong  liquor  evaporated  in  the  broad,  shallow 
vats,  till  the  salt  is  crystallized  and  dry.  Were  pains  taken 
to  excavate  systematically,  simply  for  supplying  the  manufac- 
turing establishment,  hidden  treasures  of  art  would,  unquestion- 
ably, be  constantly  recovered.  A  small  temple,  or,  at  least,  the 
appendage  of  one,  was  being  revealed  while  I  was  looking  on. 

Mr.  Stephenson,  the  engineer  of  the  tubular  bridge  over  the 
Menai  Straits,  passed  by,  up  the  river,  yesterday;  but  we 
missed  him.  He  must  have  gained  some  new  ideas,  in  regard 
to  the  mechanical  attainments  of  the  ancients,  that  will  contrast 
favorably  with  any  of  his  own  designs. 

Hassan  came  for  money ;  he  has  a  second  wife,  with  a 
daughter,  here,  back  of  Luxor.  Had  we  kept  on  to  Dongola, 
he  would,  probably,  have  found  a  series  of  them,  at  convenient 
distances,  all  the  way.  With  the  cash,  we  sent  his  second  spouse 
a  little  fruit,  and  other  delicacies.  We  had  advanced  money  for 
his  wife  number  one  at  Alexandria,  before  sailing.  With  all 
our  curiosity  and  tact,  we  did  not  get  a  sight  of  madam  or 
the  daughter.  Hassan  had  the  blood  of  a  true  Mussulman  in 
his  veins ;  consequently,  we  might  have  known  they  were  not 
to  be  seen. 

Dec.  \^th.  —  Last  night  was  extremely  cold ;  I  would  have 
been  thankful  for  one  of  my  mother's  comforters.  Drifted 
down  stream  famously,  since  yesterday,  and,  at  noon,  were 


COMPANIONS   IN    EXCURSIONS.  209 

again  at  Keneh.  Dendera  —  which  afforded  us  so  much  grat- 
ification on  the  upward  voyage  —  was  in  sight.  Keneh  is  dis- 
tinguished for  the  manufacture  of  pottery.  The  east  side  of 
the  river  was  lined  with  rafts  of  water-jars,  just  ready  to  float 
off  for  Cairo  to  a  market.  Owing  to  the  constant  endeavor, 
on  the  part  of  the  men,  to  counteract  the  leakage  of  the 
unglazed  pots,  sailing  on  these  rafts  is  very  much  like  working 
a  passage  on  a  canal  by  leading  the  horse.  Even  when  lying 
up  against  a  mud-bank,  there  is  no  rest  either  for  pots  or  crew ; 
for  the  leaking  is  all  the  while  going  on. 

In  making  Nile  voyages,  it  is  common  to  fall  in  with  per- 
sons bound  to  the  same  localities  which  you  may  propose  visit- 
ing, and  who  would  like  to  become  companions  for  the  day,  or 
two  days,  according  to  the  character  of  the  explorations.  There 
is  economy  in  this,  in  regard  to  the  expense  of  guides ;  and 
several  donkeys  may  be  hired  to  better  advantage  than  one. 
There  is  presumed  to  be  also  more  security  by  increasing  the 
numbers  of  a  party.  But  one  of  the  serious  drawbacks  upon 
the  pleasure  of  these  ruin-hunting  excursions,  if  not  upon  the 
profits  of  travelling,  especially  with  limited  means,  is  to  have  a 
person  with  you  who  is  never  ready  to  begin,  or  willing  to  stop 
when  he  has  commenced,  an  exploration.  Some  are  never 
satisfied  with  contemplating  scenerj'  in  which  another  finds 
less  enjoyment.  I  have  been  with  a  person  who  cared  nothing 
about  pictures,  of  the  highest  style  of  art ;  while  another  would 
sit  and  contemplate  the  same  canvas  by  hours  together,  pro- 
vided it  had  been  spoken  of  favorably  by  a  distinguished  some- 
body, who  influenced  the  public  sentiment.  In  short,  I  have 
suffered  excessively  by  being  associated  with  those  of  a  diamet- 
rically opposite  taste,  or  no  taste  at  all ;  and,  while  travelling 
in  Egypt,  particularly,  each  and  all  are  cautioned  against  this 
vexation,  of  being  obliged  to  wait  too  long,  or  hurry  away  tor 
1&^ 


210  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

quickly,  on  account  of  those  in  whom  you  have  no  special  inter- 
est. Never  go  into  Thebes  or  Karnak,  the  tombs  or  catacombs, 
subject  to  the  w^hims  and  caprices  of  a  disagreeable  wayside 
acquaintance. 

Ali,  our  boy,  was  asked  to-day  what  would  be  his  course,  if 
he  could  do  precisely  as  he  desired.  He  answered,  frankly,  that, 
if  he  could  procure  four  purses,  —  equivalent  to  one  hundred  dol- 
lars,—  he  would  buy  a  wife  with  one,  make  a  present  to  the 
bint's  father,  and  with  the  second  make  a  feast,  buy  clothes 
for  his  wife ;  and,  when  he  grew  into  a  man,  "  den  I  have  more 
wife."  He  was  fourteen  years  of  age !  As  the  twig  is  bent, 
the  tree  is  inclined.     This  is  a  national  characteristic. 

Dec.  \bth.  Sunday.  —  Very  cold  last  night ;  but,  when  the 
sun  came  out,  it  was  first  warm,  and  then  sultry.  This  is  the 
holy  Sabbath,  but  no  day  of  rest  in  Egypt.  Not  being  a 
Christian  country,  there  is  no  reason  for  wondering  why  there 
are  no  sacred  observances.  There  is  no  day  of  holy  rest  or 
contemplation,  even  on  Friday,  to  the  people.  Those  holding 
official  stations  under  the  pasha  are  quite  willing  to  close  their 
bureaus  on  Friday,  because  they  are  drawing  pay ;  but  those 
who  subsist  by  their  labor  can  never  relax.  On  Fridays,  in 
cities,  a  few  pious  Mussulmans,  whose  circumstances  permit, 
throng  the  mosques ;  but  no  secular  business  —  in  the  bazaars, 
the  shops  of  mechanics,  in  the  streets,  on  the  farms,  or  river- 
craft —  suspended,  as  far  as  we  could  discover,  a  single 
moment.  Passed  Abydos,  and  many  small  villages.  Saw 
several  hundred  monstrous  white  pelicans,  just  below,  on 
a  mud-bar.  They  walked  with  a  stately  gait,  without  being 
alarmed  at  the  sight  of  animals  or  men  on  shore,  but  kept  a 
watchful  eye  on  us. 

Bee.  \btk.  Mojiday.  —  To  obtain  domestic  supplies  was  an 
apology  for  going  into  Ekhmin,  in  connection  with  a  desire  to 


EKHMIN.  211 

examine  the  dust  of  the  extinct  city  of  Panopolis,  on  a  portion 
of  the  site  of  which  is  the  modem  mean  mud-town.  Full  thirty 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  vast  accumulated  mounds  of  stone, 
brick,  earthen  ware,  bones  and  filth,  we  saw  the  very  last  rem- 
nant of  a  splendid  temple,  bearing  a  Greek  inscription  on  the 
corner.  By  digging,  the  marble  stone  was  exposed ;  but  the 
villagers  were  actually  knocking  that  curious  and  extremely 
valuable  antique  to  pieces,  and  burning  it,  piecemeal,  into  lime ! 
The  kiln  was  contiguous,  the  fire  being  wholly  maintained  by 
grass.  A  few  rods  further,  there  was  a  deep  hollow,  in  which 
were  large  blocks  of  hewn  stone,  formerly  constituting  the 
walls  of  a  vastly  spacious  edifice.  The  land  level  is,  upon  an 
average,  twenty  feet,  throughout  Ekhmin,  above  the  original 
level.  This  shows  that  ages  must  have  been  required  to  accu- 
mulate those  extraordinary  tumuli.  In  the  bazaars,  many  well- 
dressed  Arabs  were  smoking,  as  everywhere  else,  and  playing 
a  singular  game  of  chance,  by  sliding  shells  into  depressions  in 
a  piece  of  plank,  half  the  depth  of  a  tea-cup.  Some  of  the 
smokers  were  jet-black  negroes;  but  they  sipped  coffee,  smoked, 
played  and  chatted  with  the  whites,  as  companions  and  inti- 
mate friends.  A  prejudice  has  not  been  manifested  against 
color,  in  the  course  of  my  observations  here,  excepting  among 
the  wild  geese.  We  often  saw  the  black  ones  by  themselves, 
and  never,  in  a  single  instance,  associated  with  those  of  white 
plumage.  It  was  difiicult  to  determine  which  was  the  aristo- 
cratic party. 

Blind  persons  were  numerous,  led  about  by  their  children,  or 
feeling  their  way  alone.  Very  many  were  noticed  who  were 
suffering  from  acute  inflammation  of  one  eye.  Nobody  pre- 
tended to  be  so  extravagant  as  to  sport  two  optics.  Mechanics 
of  every  description,  even  to  blacksmiths,  were  sitting  flat  on 
the  ground,  at  their  vocations.     In  passing  out  of  the  town,  we 


212  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

went  through  a  very  extensive  cemetery.  There  was  a  large 
number  of  whitewashed  sheik-tombs,  some  having  a  small 
niche  or  recess  in  front,  into  which  a  devout  Mussulman  could 
squeeze,  and  conduct  his  devotional  exercises.  There  is  not  a 
grave-yard  in  the  United  States,  I  apprehend,  in  which  so 
many  acres  of  ground  have  been  filled  with  the  bodies  of 
human  beings.  The  fields  were  extremely  verdant,  and  the 
weather  delightful. 

The  antiquities  of  Ekhmin  —  or,  as  some  both  write  and  pro- 
nounce it,  Akhmim  —  would  give  full  employment  to  an  ardent 
antiquarian  several  months ;  and  then  he  would  be  obliged  to 
retire  with  a  very  imperfect  knowledge  of  what  has  been  there 
in  the  form  of  cities  and  temples.  The  present  town  is  on  the 
site  of  Chemmis,  once  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Thebiad. 
Vestiges  of  enormously  large  buildings  are  still  recognized, 
widely  extended  over  the  region. 

Strabo  speaks  of  the  antiquity  of  this  place.  The  inhabit- 
ants in  the  age  of  Herodotus,  when  it  was  called  Panopolis, 
showed  that  historian  certain  genealogies  of  Perseus,  Lynceus 
and  Danaus,  who  were  natives  of  the  city,  and  afterwards  emi- 
grated to  Greece.  While  we  were  luxuriating  in  the  bland 
sunshine,  day  after  day,  the  ground  in  Europe  and  the  United 
States  must  have  been  frozen,  and  covered  with  ice  and  snow, 

Dec.  11th.  Wednesday.  —  The  difficulty  with  the  reis  pro- 
gresses ;  he  is  determined  not  to  row.  Although  the  wind 
blew  last  night,  and  even  through  the  day,  the  sun  poured  his 
dazzling  splendors  on  Egypt.  Slowly  drifting ;  now  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  miles  from  Cairo,  —  consequently  becoming 
impatient,  since  the  crew  render  but  little  assistance. 

Dec.  ISth.  Thursday.  —  A  day  unproductive  in  incidents. 
Mr.  Holland  went  on  shore  at  Assioot.  Cold  nights  and  hot 
days.     The  reis  provoked  us  outrageously,  so  that  Mr.  War- 


HAWKEES    OF    ANTIQUITIES.  213 

Ten  wishes  him  bastinadoed.  Just  nine  miles  from  Manfaloot, 
approaching  the  celebrated  tombs  of  Beni  Hassan. 

Dec.  I9th.  Friday.  —  Both  sleepy  and  provoked.  The  con- 
duct of  the  reis  — who  stands  in  no  fear  of  us  —  is  insufferable. 
He  is  practising  an  old  Nile  game,  —  procrastination,  —  and 
thus  expects  to  eke  out  the  time,  upon  the  principle  that  time  is 
money ;  especially  as  he  expects  to  sponge  it  out  of  us.  It  is 
our  intention  to  enter  a  complaint  against  him  at  the  first 
pashalic  we  arrive  at. 

Towards  nightfall,  arrived  at  a  dusty  mud-village,  and 
walked  over  the  melancholy  ruins  of  ruins  where  once  stood 
the  proud  imperial  city  of  Artinoe,  a  Roman  creation,  on  the 
still  more  ancient  dust  of  generations  to  which  neither  records 
nor  memory  reach.  Several  massive,  finely-proportioned  red 
granite  columns  are  standing,  like  solitary  trees  in  an  open 
field,  buried  half  their  length.  Scattered  brick,  strong  arches, 
heavy  and  well-hammered  stone,  independent  of  columns,  pros- 
trate, marred  and  broken,  indicated  the  strong  old  Roman 
masonry,  which  is  wholly  distinct,  and  never  to  be  mistaken 
for  Eg}'ptian  workmanship.  A  perfect  troop  of  bare-footed, 
half-nude  Arab  girls  scampered  and  re-collected  round  us, 
according  to  our  indications  of  wrath  or  good-nature  at  their 
importunities.  They  had  old  Roman  coins,  many  of  Greek 
origin,  with  a  few  of  an  older  date ;  but  most  of  them  were 
imperfect.  Anything  passes  for  an  antiquity  on  the  Nile.  The 
poor  power  of  discrimination  between  what  is  and  what  is  not 
valuable  has  led  these  hawkers  and  pedlers  to  annoy  every- 
body seen  in  a  Frank  costume,  as  they  seem  to  suppose  nothing 
comes  amiss  to  them  which  is  purchased  among  the  ruins.  I 
have  had  an  Arab  present  an  old  copper  watch-seal,  and  another 
a  brass  button.  They  were,  no  doubt,  thought  by  the  poor  crea- 
tures of  rare  value,  because  they  were  unlike  the  common  run 


214  A    PILGKIMAQE   TO   EGYPT. 

of  articles  found  by  them.  Naked  children,  idle  men,  and 
sauntering  women,  surrounded  us,  and  were  clamorous  for 
backshiesh. 

By  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  opposite  the 
renowned  grottos  of  Beni  Hassan,  —  a  series  of  tombs  exca- 
vated in  the  limestone,  at  an  elevation  of  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  river,  lying  easterly,  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  where  the  small  boat  landed  us.  These  tombs  belong 
to  a  very  remote  antiquity,  and  have  always  been  distin- 
guished for  the  beauty  of  their  proportions  and  finish.  The 
whole  ledge  or  mountain  is  a  mass  of  pebbles  and  marine 
shells,  singularly  commingled.  It  is  clear,  therefore,  that  the 
entire  mass,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  stretching  out  under  the  sand 
of  the  desert,  —  perhaps  to  the  Red  Sea,  —  from  this  point,  was 
once  the  bed  of  a  quiet  ocean.  The  shell-fish  were  the  natu- 
ral product,  and  must  have  been  perpetuated  for  cycles  beyond 
human  computation,  to  have  created  a  mountain  of  their  shells. 
One  generation  after  another  settled  into  the  plastic,  quiescent 
bed,  and  thus  strata  were  formed  of  alternate  beds  of  lime  and 
skeletons.  By  and  by,  an  upheaval  force  from  below  raised  the 
whole  above  the  circumambient  waters ;  and  there  it  remains,  a 
monument  to  record  the  genealogical  revolutions  that  have  been 
effected  in  this  part  of  Africa.  Then,  again,  unnumbered  ages 
rolled  on,  and  man  finally  wandered  from  the  primitive  home 
of  his  ancestors,  and  settled  in  Egypt,  Another  series  of  unde- 
fined lustrums  moved  on,  and  human  beings  were  multiplied, 
till  the  valley  of  the  Nile  was  alive  with  the  hum  of  human 
beings  and  industry.  When  the  dead  outnumbered  the  living, 
and  the  gloamings  of  a  future  state  were  obscurely  perceived 
by  the  sages,  a  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  was 
predicated,  perhaps,  on  the  incorruptibility  and  preservation  of 
the  body.     This  led  to  mechanical  devices  for  securing  the 


KQYPTIAN    TOMBS.  215 

perishable  fabric  of  mortality ;  and  mummy-pits,  royal  sepul- 
chres and  grottoes,  like  these  of  Beni  Hassan,  were  constructed, 
excelling  in  workmanship  anything  of  the  kind  in  other  parts 
of  the  world ;  and  far  exceeding,  as  we  are  accustomed  to  esti- 
mate the  price  of  labor,  the  aggregate  cost  of  all  other  kinds 
and  forms  of  resting-places  for  the  dead,  in  any  age  or  country. 
Some,  if  not  all  these  tombs,  were  between  two  and  three  thou- 
sand years  old  at  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era ; 
they  may  safely  be  contemplated,  therefore,  as  the  oldest  mon- 
uments of  the  kind  on  the  globe.  They  were  antiques  before 
the  foundations  of  Thebes  were  laid ;  and  they  bid  fair  to  resist 
the  pulverizing  activity  of  time,  and  the  depredations  of  barba- 
rians, for  ten  centuries  to  come. 

Many  of  the  tombs  are  pleasant  stone  rooms,  —  without  win- 
dows, of  course,  —  with  an  arched  or  flat  ceiling  over  head, 
according  to  the  taste  of  the  proprietor.  Some  had  two  rooms, 
side  by  side,  and  others  one  apartment  beyond  the  other.  To 
give  them  a  finish  and  fine  effect,  there  are  some  with  square 
pillars,  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the  roof,  while  in  others  they 
are  round  and  fluted.  One  of  the  grottos  had  four  fluted  col- 
umns, acknowledged  to  be  the  oldest  known  to  architects  in 
the  world.  Dr.  Lepsius  has  actually  cut  away  one  of  them, 
by  taking  six  feet  in  length  off  to  Berlin,  for  his  master's 
museum.  A  few  feet  of  the  remnant  hangs  down  from  the 
ceiling,  like  the  stump  of  a  stalactite,  while  the  lower  end,  not 
far  from  two  feet,  still  rests  on  the  floor.  They  were  not 
inserted  columns,  but  parts  of  the  original  rock,  left  standing 
by  excavating  round  them.  All  the  grottos  have  elegantly- 
chiselled  doorways,  —  the  doors  having  been  destroyed,  nobody 
knows  when.  In  one  corner  of  each  of  the  tombs  is  a  square 
hole,  cut  into  the  rock,  which  goes  down  to  an  unknown  depth, — 
perhaps  from  sixty  to  a  htmdred  feet, — with  singular  bolt-holes, 


216  A  PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

for  fastening  down  a  heavy  trap-door.  This  was  the  mummy- 
pit,  filled  and  hermetically  sealed,  no  doubt ;  but  rifled  by  van- 
dal Persians,  in  some  of  their  predatory  inroads,  for  the  gold 
and  precious  things  that  may  have  been  upon  them.  In  these 
tombs  are  immense  series  of  drawings  on  the  walls,  in  red, 
blue,  green  and  black  colors,  in  which  are  illustrated  all  the 
pursuits  of  the  people  at  the  period  of  their  execution.  We  are 
possessed  of  no  art  that  was  not  known  to  them,  according  to 
these  paintings.  Men  and  animals  figure  in  all  conceivable 
poskions,  life-like  and  spirited.  We  were  very  much  sur- 
prised at  several  long  rows  of  figures,  representing  gymnastic 
feats  and  exercises.  In  all  the  exhibitions  witnessed,  either  in 
Europe  or  at  home,  of  posture-masters,  none  of  them  approached 
these  multitudinous  twdstifications  of  the  hvunan  form ;  even 
the  India-rubber  man,  who  almost  tied  his  own  legs  into  a  hard 
knot,  never  came  up  to  the  climax  of  contortions  practised  by 
those  old  Egyptian  performers.  They  probably  sat  for  the 
limner,  and  that  explains  the  success  of  the  artist.  They  are 
usually  from  a  foot  to  eighteen  inches  tall.  Most  of  the  draw- 
ings and  pictures,  however,  have  been  exposed  to  the  action  of 
the  elements,  through  an  open  door ;  the  rude  touch  of  barbari- 
ans, who  have  made  these  tombs  their  dwellings ;  and,  lastly, 
were  subjected,  just  before  our  arrival,  to  worse  than  barbarian 
usage  from  Dr.  Lepsius  and  others,  who  pressed  damp  paper 
o'^er  them,  to  take  impressions.  It  now  requires  the  assistance 
of  a  vigorous  imagination  to  trace  out  all  the  domestic  scenes 
that  once  must  have  been  distinctly  and  beautifully  portrayed. 
The  Speas  Artemedas  —  technically  known  as  the  cave  of 
Diana  —  is  the  richest  of  the  group,  in  all  respects,  the  over- 
head ceiling  being  thrown  into  the  form  of  three  arches  ;  and 
it  was  in  this  that  Dr.  Lepsius  committed  the  sacrilege  of 
which  all  travellers  bitterly  complain.     Hassan  apologized  for 


VANDAL   COXDDCT   OF   DE.    LEPSICS.  217 

the  extra  appearance  of  dilapidation  at  Thebes,  when  we  were 
approaching  it,  —  as  the  Englishman  did  for  the  weather,  of 
which  he  was  ashamed,  because  it  was  so  bad,  —  by  saying 
Dr.  Lepsius  had  spoiled  ever^'thing  in  his  country.  Myself 
and  companions  can  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that,  wherever 
recent  injuries  have  been  inflicted,  or  something  is  missing 
that  used  to  be  somewhere,  the  guides  invariably  charge  it 
upon  that  jackal  provider  for  the  lion  of  Prussia.  He  would 
doubtless  justify  himself  by  saying  he  carried  them  off  to  save 
them.  This  is  preserving  in  a  reprehensible  manner  for  those 
who  traverse  sea  and  land  to  see  what  he  has  either  carried 
away  or  defaced.  In  one  of  the  tombs  above  Thebes  we 
noticed  a  cartouch,  —  that  is,  an  oval,  in  relief,  on  the  wall, 
artistically  executed,  containing  hieroglyphics,  —  which  had 
been  cut  round,  with  a  view  of  chipping  it  out,  whole,  to  be 
carried  off;  but,  unluckily,  one-half  of  it  was  scaled  away,  and, 
of  course,  the  remainder  was  not  wanted.  Thus  the  import- 
ant key  to  other,  and,  perhaps,  curious  historical  researches, 
is  spoiled  beyond  redemption ;  and  the  guides  charged  it  to  the 
same  learned  gleaner.  Dr.  Lepsius.  There  will  be  no  excuse 
for  him,  if  his  coming  investigations  into  the  early  condition 
of  monumental  Egypt  fall  below  the  expectations  of  scholars 
and  archaeologists,  for  he  has  taken  possession  of  all  that  is 
worth  having. 

All  the  grottos  of  Beni  Hassan  face  the  west,  overlooking 
an  extensive  region  of  fine  meadow-land,  up  and  down  the 
Nile.  When  the  sun  sets  in  the  cloudless  sky  of  this  hemi- 
sphere, its  dazzling  rays  of  glory  penetrate  the  very  recesses  of 
these  drawing-rooms  of  the  ancient  dead.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  in  full  view  from  Beni  Hassan,  further  south, 
is  the  pulverized  rubbish  of  a  defunct  town,  which  tradition 
designates  as  the  residence  of  the  Psilli,  or  snake-charming 
19 


218  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGTPT. 

necromancers,  whom  Pharaoh  sent  for  to  confront  Moses,  after 
he  had  performed  those  miracles  recorded  of  him,  because  the 
hard-hearted,  prevaricating  old  monarch  refused  to  let  the 
Israelites  go. 

Dec.  20tk.  Friday.  —  A  day  fruitful  of  incidents.  The 
unendurable  conduct  of  the  reis  induced  us  to  call  at  Minieh, 
the  residence  of  a  pasha,  or  local  governor,  to  ask  redress  of 
grievances.  Abuzed  had  repeatedly  violated  the  contract,  by 
refusing  to  set  the  crew  at  work ;  and,  consequently,  twelve 
stout  Arabs  have  done  pretty  much  as  they  chose.  He  had 
been  repeatedly  threatened  with  a  complaint,  but  seemed  to 
defy  us.  One  of  the  sailors  expressed  an  utter  contempt  for  all 
tribunals,  and  we  were  therefore  driven  to  the  necessity  of 
heading  off  any  incipient  mutinous  show  of  disregard  for  our- 
selves, or  the  terrors  of  the  law.  Stern  necessity  was  pressing, 
to  my  mind ;  and  we  were  determined  to  ascertain  Avhether  jus- 
tice could  be  found  in  Egypt,  where  it  was  once  the  boast  that 
the  rulers  were  the  servants  of  the  gods  of  Truth  and  Justice. 
Hauling  to,  towards  nine  o'clock,  the  boat  was  made  fast ;  and, 
prinking  up  for  the  august  occasion,  we  marched  up  to  the 
quarters  of  his  excellency,  Mohammed  Bey,  Pasha  of  Minieh 
and  its  dependencies,  —  a  corpulent,  well-developed,  agreeable- 
looking  Turk,  who  was  seated  on  a  rough  sort  of  settee,  cov- 
ered with  a  colored  sheep-skin,  with  the  wool  on,  under  the 
shade  of  a  wide-spreading  acacia-tree.  He  was  smoking,  of 
course ;  wore  a  red  tarbousch,  red  shoes,  a  blue,  close-fitting 
spencer,  and  monstrous  trousers,  of  blue  broadcloth.  Various 
officers  were  sauntering  about,  within  the  great  man's  orbit ;  — 
some  with  horse-pistols  stuck  in  their  sashes,  which  were  wound 
several  times  round  their  bodies ;  others  with  staffs,  and  some 
with  courbashes.  We  told  Hassan,  on  the  way  up  to  the  court, 
to  translate  truly,  word  for  word  ;  intimating  that  he  would  for- 


A   FLOQGINQ.  219 

feit  our  confidence  if  he  deviated  a  hair.  His  excellency 
received  us  politely,  asked  our  business,  and  directed  his  myr- 
midons to  bring  the  accused  reis  into  his  awful  presence.  Abu- 
zed  was  horrified  at  his  position.  The  case  was  stated,  when 
the  pasha  said  he  should  be  flogged,  if  we  demanded  it.  We 
prayed  for  mercy  instantly,  urging  the  pasha  to  make  him  prom- 
ise amendment ;  for  we  were  pained  at  the  idea  of  inflicting 
corporal  punishment  on  a  captain,  in  the  presence  of  his  crew. 
The  rascal  promised,  of  course,  and  thus  saved  his  bacon, 
through  our  intercessions.  A  dkarge  was  next  preferred 
against  Jaffier,  the  originator  and  ringleader  of  the  increasing 
insubordination.  Before  half  the  story  was  related,  or  we  had 
any  conception  of  the  progress  of  the  trial,  he  was  thrown  upon 
his  face  into  a  clumsy  wooden  frame,  that  confined  the  body, 
with  the  feet  elevated,  and  two  of  the  police  alternately  struck 
with  the  courbash.  While  the  blows  were  falling,  and  the 
culprit  screaming  Abbas  Pasha !  Abbas  Pasha !  the  governor 
wuved  his  hand,  still  whiffing  at  the  pipe,  and  the  crowd 
opened  a  passage-way  for  us  to  see  the  process.  Shocking  as 
it  was,  dreadful  to  be  obliged  to  see  or  hear,  his  excellency 
puffed  out  a  long  blast  of  smoke,  and  observed  to  me,  —  I  being 
the  nearest  to  him,  —  "  This  is  the  way  justice  is  administered 
in  Egj'pt."  It  was  all  over  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it. 
We  were  told  it  was  a  light  punishment,  and  did  not  hurt  him 
much.  It  was  a  comfort  to  have  the  intelligence,  for  I  was 
suffering  beyond  description.  We  were  not  required  to  pay  the 
court ;  but,  on  taking  leave,  the  posse  gathered  round  for  back- 
shiesh,  particularly  the  courbash  gentry.  The  law  deals  in 
blows  altogether,  and  knows  nothing  of  pecuniary  mulcts,  tardy 
police  inquiries,  or  appeals  to  higher  tribunals,  in  petty  offences, 
or  when  a  man's  life  is  in  danger. 

A  memorable  example  of  the  power,  activity  and  terribleness, 


220  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

of  old  Mohammed  All's  government,  was  demonstrated  in  the 
utter  desolation  of  two  large  villages,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
near  Beni  Hassan,  containing  house*  enough  to  accommodate 
three  thousand  inhabitants,  and  yet  without  a  solitary  tenant. 
Travellers  had  been  repeatedly  robbed,  and  it  was  becoming 
extremely  dangerous  to  visit  the  tombs.  Word  was  passed  on 
to  the  ears  of  the  pasha  of  the  outrages  committed.  It  roused 
the  sleeping  lion,  who  exerted  himself  in  vain  to  detect  the  cul- 
prits. Without  doubt,  the  sheiks  and  principal  persons  of  the 
region  connived  at  the  depiedations,  and  shared  the  plunder. 
Every  one  even  remotely  implicated  was  put  to  death,  and  then 
every  remaining  person,  young,  old,  great  and  small,  was  com- 
manded forthwith  to  abandon  the  premises,  and  never  return. 
It  is  safe  enough  now,  for  there  is  no  living  creature  there,  save 
the  jackals  that  course  over  the  hot  sands  of  the  desert,  and 
quench  their  raging  thirst  in  front  of  Beni  Hassan. 

When  we  got  on  board,  there  was  a  rebellious  uproar,  and 
Jaffier  was  loudest  of  them  all.  They  were  out  of  bread,  and 
asked  for  money.  We  hesitated  a  long  time,  not  believing 
that  the  reis  was  destitute  of  change.  A  threat  to  take  Jaffier 
back  to  the  pasha,  and  all  the  rest  of  them  with  him,  if  they 
did  not  instantly  do  their  duty,  brought  about  order;  the 
painter  was  cast  off,  and  away  the  canjia  floated  towards  Cairo 
again. 

Dec.2lst.  Saturday.  —  This  was  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  and 
the  day  on  which  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  landed  at  Plymouth, 
which,  as  customary,  will  be  celebrated  there  to-morrow.  Yes- 
terday was  the  Mohammedan  Sabbath,  no  way  regarded  in  the 
miserable  villages  we  were  frequently  touching  at ;  yet  they 
pray  devoutly  five  times  a  day,  and  wherever  there  is  a  mosque, 
a  preference  is  given  to  it,  for  the  devotions  of  the  men.  I 
once  saw  an  Arab  woman  at  prayer  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 


PILGRIMS   KETURNDfG    FKOM    MECCA.  221 

—  the  only  one  I  have  ever  seen  personally  engaged  in  devo- 
tional exercises.  She  had  precious  little  to  be  thankful  for,  — 
being  barefooted,  with  a  single  blue  cotton  garment,  and  sur- 
rounded by  wretched  beings,  poor,  bigoted,  and  exacting  of 
females  to  a  degree  that  degrades  them  to  brutes,  and  subjects 
them  to  the  perpetual  caprice  of  men  in  organization  but  devils 
in  character. 

The  boat  has  moved  briskly  since  the  majesty  of  the  law  was 
exhibited  at  Minieh  yesterday.  Blows,  after  all,  have  a  quick- 
ening influence  with  Arabs,  that  words  or  backshiesh  never 
accomplish.  On  a  particular  occasion,  after  Mohammed  AH 
had  ordered  the  infliction  of  a  bastinado  a  hundred-fold  worse 
than  death,  some  Europeans  waited  upon  his  highness,  inti- 
mating that  civilized  powers  would  not  permit  such  atrocities, 
so  shocking  to  the  moral  sense  of  Christendom.  He  patiently 
listened  to  the  discourse,  and,  without  betraying  the  wrath  he 
smothered  at  their  interference  with  his  administration,  quietly 
remarked,  "  It  is  all  very  good  talk,  gentlemen ;  but  I  under- 
stand governing  Arabs  better  than  you  do ;"  and  there  the 
interview  closed. 

Fell  in  company  with  several  boats  filled  with  hadji,  or 
pilgrims,  returning  from  Mecca.  They  came  with  a  caravan 
to  Keneh,  and  there  hired  boats.  Some  of  them  were 
Algerines,  but  a  large  proportion  were  Turks  from  Constan- 
tinople, who  had  not  only  been  a  very  long  while  on  the 
journey,  but  must,  with  the  most  frugal  management,  have 
spent  a  large  amount  of  money.  If  anybody  can  subsist  on 
nothing,  they  can ;  for  they  purchase  nothing  that  can  possibly 
be  let  alone.  On  one  of  the  boats  was  a  fair,  pale,  delicate 
white  woman,  of  about  thirty,  who  appeared  in  ill  health ;  and, 
to  give  her  the  full  benefit  of  the  bland  air,  while  our  boats 
were  hauled  up  near  together,  at  a  stopping-place,  cushions 
19* 


222  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO  EGYPT. 

were  piled  up  under  an  awning,  where  she  sat,  staring  upon 
us  in  our  queer  costume,  —  white  flapped  hats,  and  whatever 
else  about  our  rigging  that  was  a  novelty  to  her  large,  rolling 
optics.  She  was  a  Circassian,  —  faded  and  wilting.  There 
was  a  hull  of  a  boat  repairing,  just  on  the  margin  of  the  bank, 
behind  which  I  walked,  as  though  inspecting  the  planking, 
which  threw  her  and  her  friends  off  guard ;  which  means  sim- 
ply she  let  her  veil  fall,  giving  me  an  opportunity  to  criticize 
her  features.  If  she  ever  had  been  a  beauty,  she  was  not  one 
now.  On  returning  from  a  walk  to  a  mound,  she  was  seen  on 
shore ;  and  a  queer  sight  it  was.  She  Avore  huge,  ungraceful 
pantaloons,  and  yellow  boots,  while  her  person  was  enveloped 
in  lots  of  shawls,  swathed  on  between  her  hips  and  shoulders, 
giving  a  grotesqueness  to  her  figure  that  was  unique.  Off  she 
hobbled,  and  squatted  in  her  old  nest,  with  a  barricaded  face. 
All  the  men  were  armed  with  horse-pistols  mounted  with 
silver,  and  some  of  them  %vore  swords.  The  wind  blew  so  ter- 
rifically, for  an  hour  or  two,  that  we  laid  by  opposite  a  field  of 
halfar-grass.  While  waiting  for  its  subsidence,  a  drove  of 
Arab  girls*  came  to  a  watering-station,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  with  their  jars.  They  plunged  in,  and  had  a  grand 
frolic,  which  lasted  an  hour  or  more.  Just  at  dark,  the  boat 
began  to  go  with  the  current.  Two  jackals  trotted  along,  keep- 
ing pace  with  us,  for  a  full  mile,  when  the  darkness  prevented 
us  from  watching  their  motions  any  longer. 

Dec.  22d.  Sicnday.  —  A;i  excellent  run  all  night.  Passed 
Benisooef  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  heard  the  muez- 
zin calling  to  prayers  from  a  minaret.  The  wind  was  thought 
to  be  fatigued  with  blowing,  according  to  sailor  theory ;  and, 
consequently,  went  into  a  state  of  repose  quite  too  early  in  the 
day  for  anxious  voyagers.  Passed  what  the  dragoman  called  the 
lyi7ig  pyramid,  —  commonly  known  to  travellers  as  the  false 


FUNERAL   PROCESSION.  225 

pyramid, — at  noon,  fifty  miles  from  the  capital.  Some  children 
hailed  us  from  the  bank,  very  earnestly,  when  one  of  them  said 
his  mother  had  just  got  a  new  baby,  and  he  wanted  to  get  a 
name  for  it.  All  hands  shouted,  pretty  much  at  a  breath, 
"  Call  him  Mohammed."  Two-thirds  of  the  male  population 
seem  to  bear  that  name  already  ;  and  the  remainder  are  called 
Abdallah,  Hassan,  and  Ali. 

Cairo,  Dec.  2'^d.  Monday.  —  By  urging,  and  the  extra  activ- 
ity of  the  crew,  we  arrived  here  at  two  o'clock  this  morning, 
at  Boulac.  It  was  something  of  an  undertaking  to  pick  up 
our  effects,  after  six  weeks  of  house-keeping.  Before  ten 
o'clock,  five  donkeys  and  one  camel  were  hired,  including  Has- 
san and  little  Ali's  accommodation.  Both  wanted  to  ride  up 
to  town  like  gentlemen.  Settled  up  our  domestic  affairs  in  the 
afternoon,  and  were  waited  upon  by  a  sheik  of  the  desert,  who 
wished  to  supply  camels  and  safe-conduct  for  us,  over  the 
regions  of  Arabian  sand,  to  Palestine.  Several  of  the  crew  — 
spruced  up  in  their  best,  with  huge  turbans,  a  blue  frock,  and 
red  shoes  —  squatted  round  the  door  of  our  lodgings,  puffing 
as  gravely  as  pashas,  waiting  to  catch  us,  in  passing  in  or  out, 
to  beg  for  backshiesh.  Even  the  reis  had  the  effrontery  to  wait 
upon  the  howadjis,  also,  soliciting  backshiesh.  Alick,  our  favor- 
ite among  the  dozen,  wanted  a  recommendation  of  character. 
On  the  way  up  from  the  port,  we  came  through  a  wretched  col- 
lection of  mud-hovels,  —  noticed  on  a  former  occasion,  —  where 
hundreds  of  women  were  huddled  together,  in  a  narrow  lane, 
howling  for  the  death  of  the  husband  of  one  of  them.  They 
would  have  been  justified  in  laughing  for  joy ;  for  it  must  be 
good  luck  when  most  of  the  husbands  die.  He  was  on  a  pil- 
grimage to  Mecca,  the  news  having  just  reached  one  of  perhaps 
four  widows.  Soon  after,  a  funeral  passed  through  the  narrow 
streets,  near  the  coffee-bazaar,  the  corpse  in  an  open  box,  on  the 


226  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

shoulders  of  bearers,  followed  by  a  rabble  of  screaming  women, 
— presumed  to  have  been  all  hired  for  the  occasion.  It  conveys 
the  idea  of  the  loss  of  a  greatly-distinguished  individual,  when 
this  show  of  mourning  is  set  up.  I  have  seen  a  woman  raise 
herself  into  a  perfect  frenzy  by  her  weeping  and  frantic  gestic- 
ulations ;  and  all,  perhaps,  for  a  para,  —  the  fifth  part  of  a  cent, 
—  for  some  one  she  never  saw,  or  cared  a  fig  for,  if  she  had. 

Cairo,  Dec.  2^th.  Tuesday.  — Mr.  Holland  intimated  his  inten- 
tion of  leaving  us,  and  we  commenced  a  negotiation  with  the 
sheik  for  a  conveyance  to  Ramlah,  the  ancient  Arimathea,  the 
residence  of  Joseph,  the  owner  of  the  new  sepulchre  in  which 
our  Saviour  was  laid,  when  taken  down  from  the  cross.  I 
visited  the  imposing  but  shabby  tombs  of  the  Mameluke  kings. 
They  were  showy  when  first  erected ;  but  they  are  cobbled  up 
stones,  plastered  and  whitewashed,  without  any  enduring  prop- 
erties. Some  are  broken  in  the  walls ;  others  have  neither 
doors  nor  windows ;  and  all  of  them  are  destined  to  utter  anni- 
hilation, and  that  before  many  years.  They  are  located  on 
a  barren  sand-plain,  south  of  the  citadel,  towards  Fostat,  — 
or  Old  Cairo,  —  the  former  capital.  Nobody  cares  for  them, 
and  few,  if  any,  of  the  vast  population,  know  anything  of  the 
history  of  the  oppressors  who  were  buried  in  them.  A  living 
dog  is  more  to  be  feared  than  a  dead  lion ;  and,  however  orna- 
mental the  once  beautiful  domes  might  have  been,  there  is  no 
national  pride,  no  social  adhesiveness,  in  the  country,  —  noth- 
ing that  is  patriotic  or  progressive  in  the  Arabic  mind.  To  keep 
clear  of  the  clutches  of  the  reigning  despot  of  to-day  is  of  far 
more  importance  than  protecting  the  hated  remains  of  one  who 
is  safely  dead. 

In  one  of  the  most  magnificent  of  these  royal  .sepulchres,  we 
rode  in  on  the  donkeys,  —  which  shows  the  pollution  to  which 
they  are  exposed.     Little  did  the  sleeping  tyrant  suppose  that 


RETURN   TO   CAIRO.  227 

a  Christian  dog  would  ever  set  his  detested  foot  near  the  ashes 
of  a  royal  Moslem ;  or,  above  all,  have  his  dust  trampled  upon 
by  an  ass,  ridden  by  a  Frank.  Such,  however,  is  the  destiny 
of  kings;  —  their  dust  is  as  ignoble  as  our  own. 

While  on  the  ground,  the  old  aqueduct  was  examined,  and 
also  the  new  one,  fed  by  a  sakkia,  turned  by  an  ox,  on  the  old 
Cairo  road.  Returning,  we  approached  the  citadel  on  its  back 
side,  in  a  deep  ravine,  where  there  was  a  swarm  of  forty-two 
Arab  boys  learning  to  beat  the  drum.  The  noise  was  confu- 
sion confused.  Winding  up,  and  passing  through  the  fortress 
gate,  we  rode  up  in  front  of  the  new  mosque,  now  being  fin- 
ished, the  best-made  building,  on  the  best  site,  in  Cairo,  — 
overlooking  everything,  south,  west,  and  a  point  or  two  north, 
for  twenty  miles.  The  front,  minarets  and  columns,  are  built 
of  alabaster,  a  stone  that  looks  beautifully  when  first  exposed  to 
the  air;  but  it  soon  changes,  as  the  mosque  has,  —  looking  like 
a  cake  of  tallow.  It  is  already  ruinous  in  appearance.  The 
gilding,  blue  frosting  of  the  dome  within,  and  Arabic  extracts 
from  the  Koran,  have  a  fine  effect.  Having  somewhere 
described  the  manner  in  which  Mohammed  All's  remains  were 
boxed  up  in  a  corner,  waiting  for  sepulture,  when  the  edifice  for 
which  he  provided  funds  is  completed,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
speak  of  the  few  changes  six  weeks  had  brought  about,  since  I 
stood  in  the  same  position,  contemplating  the  departed  glories 
of  his  reign.  Standing  on  the  wall,  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
mosque  enclosure,  we  were  shown  where  the  massacre  of  the 
beys  occurred.  Looking  off" a  little  further  on  the  plain,  a  large 
body  of  cavalry  were  practising  broad-sword  exercises  in  this 
manner,  namely  :  On  the  top  of  a  post  vvas  a  tarbousch,  —  a  red 
felt  cap.  All  the  horsemen  were  paraded  on  a  line,  and  one 
would  start  his  horse  to  a  full  run  towards  the  post,  and,  in  the 
act  of  turning,  give  the  cap  a  slash,  as  though  it  were  an  infi- 


228  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

del's  head.  Not  one  in  a  dozen  could  hit  it.  The  horses  evi- 
dently enjoyed  the  sport  quite  as  much  as  their  riders,  for  they 
seemed  impatient  for  their  turn.  Close  by  the  mosque  a  pretty 
house,  of  wood  and  brick,  is  building,  by  Abbas  Pasha,  whose 
passion  for  palaces  has  no  limits.  Whatever  is  constructed  by 
the  modern  occupants  of  Egypt  is  frail,  without  the  elements 
of  durability.  They  are  for  a  day;  but  the  old  Egyptians 
built  for  eternity.  Coming  down  into  the  square  in  front  of  the 
citadel,  —  a  place  I  verj'  frequently  visited,  —  it  was  a  perpet- 
ual source  of  amusement  to  witness  the  feats  of  legerdemain. 
The  performers  were  extremely  clever ;  and  some  of  their  feats, 
in  open  day,  on  the  bare  sand,  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  look- 
ers-on, would  puzzle  a  philosopher.  Blitz  would  find  his  match 
with  these  expert  fellows.  A  cup,  or  tambourine,  is  passed 
round,  into  which  a  few  paras  are  thrown. 

Abbas  Pasha's  business-palace  is  near  by  the  citadel.  His 
grandfather's  palace  —  a  comfortable  house,  shaded  by  acacias 
—  has  been  the  scene  of  unrecorded  proceedings,  that  would 
make  one's  hair  rise,  were  a  ninety-ninth  part  revealed.  Adja- 
cent is  the  mint,  which  was  accessible ;  but  we  happened  to 
arrive  a  little  too  late,  on  two  occasions,  for  admission. 

All  Cairo  was  in  a  transition  state,  preparing  for  a  grand 
illumination  in  honor  of  the  pasha's  mother,  who  was  daily 
expected,  on  her  return  from  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  This 
looks  like  having  a  soul  of  her  own,  if  no  other  woman  has. 
Lanterns  —  paper,  of  course  —  were  thrown  across  the  streets ; 
mosques  had  wooden  krinkum-krankums,  —  perhaps  Arabic 
letters,  —  with  wire  hooks  for  holding  oil-pots. 

Green  garden  vegetables,  of  various  kinds,  were  on  sale 
everywhere.  The  fruits  from  the  Fyoom  —  an  oasis  in  the 
Libyan  Desert  —  were  excellent. 

We  landed  in  Egypt  on  the  first  day  of  November;  and, 


A    SUBSTITUTE   CONSUL.  229 

since  returning  safely  to  Cairo,  —  having  examined  in  detail 
all  that  is  worthy  of  exploration,  and  seen  and  heard  a  multi- 
tude of  things  that  cannot  be  written,  —  it  is  a  gratification  to 
look  back  upon  our  many  adventures.  My  antiquarian  taste 
was  satisfactorily  gratified  ;  for  we  saw  all  the  temples,  tombs, 
grottos,  sculptured  monuments  and  historical  localities,  great 
and  small,  from  Cleopatra's  Needle,  Pompey's  Pillar,  the 
Sphinx  before  the  Pyramids  of  Geezeh,  the  Memnonium  on  the 
abandoned  plain  of  Thebes,  the  colossal  pillars  of  Karnak  and 
Luxor,  and  the  paintings  in  the  sepulchral  chambers  of  Beni 
Hassan,  to  the  royal  cartouches  on  the  colonnades  of  Philae. 
Instead  of  being  contented  and  satisfied,  my  appetite  was  only 
sharpened  for  new  researches  in  another  direction.  From  my 
earliest  recollection,  when  a  child,  standing  by  my  mother's 
knee  while  she  read  to  me  of  the  magnificence  of  Solomon's 
temple,  the  holiness  of  Jerusalem,  —  of  Bethlehem,  Nazareth, 
the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  his  triumphant  victory  over  death,  —  I  have  had 
an  irresistible  desire  to  visit  the  Holy  Land. 

After  running  back  and  forward  to  the  office  of  the  United 
States  vice-consulate,  —  which  was  under  the  care  and  admin- 
istration of  a  sycophantic,  insincere,  ignorant  young  Syrian, 
while  the  vice-consul  was  on  a  visit  to  Damietta,  —  a  contract 
was  finally  concluded  with  three  sheiks,  conjointly,  for  six 
camels  and  two  drivers,  to  convey  Mr.  Warren  and  myself, 
water-casks,  tent,  bag  and  baggage,  to  Ramlah,  the  first  town 
in  Palestine.  We  felt  no  kind  of  confidence  in  the  cringing, 
money-loving  rascal,  who  was  representing  the  official  dignity 
of  our  country.  In  his  face,  deportment  and  postures,  he  looked 
the  Turk,  and  proved  to  be  a  villain.  We  called  on  the  Brit- 
ish consul,  to  ascertain  whether  our  business  could  not  be  trans- 
acted by  him,  instead  of  this  ignorant,  dishonest,  smoking  mule 
20 


230  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

of  a  boy.  The  clerk  said  it  might  lead  to  unpleasant  feelings 
between  the  consuls,  if  our  papers  were  executed  there ;  and  he 
thought,  on  the  whole,  we  had  better  do  the  best  we  could  at 
the  American  Eagle.  All  the  while,  these  desert  contracts, 
and  Nile  expeditions,  do  not  fall  within  the  jurisdiction  of  a 
consul  at  all ;  it  is  a  branch  of  business  they  have  incorporated 
with  the  legitimate  business  of  the  consulate,  to  enlarge  their 
income.  I  warn  those  who  may  follow  me  to  keep  away  from 
the  office.  Go  to  any  other  consul,  rather  than  the  American, 
till  it  is  in  clean  hands;  or  to  any  of  the  English  bankers,  who 
are  abundantly  competent  to  write  a  contract,  and  for  less  than 
half  the  cost  of  the  same  unreadable  instrument  at  the  consu- 
late. Having  paid  the  demands,  we  asked  distinctly  if  any  other 
paper  or  papers  were  necessary.  The  answer  was,  no.  And 
upon  asking  if  a  vise  was  not  necessary  to  pass  the  frontier,  we 
were  again  answered  no.     And  this  terminated  the  interview. 

Wherever  I  turned,  the  note  of  preparation  was  heard,  to 
welcome  back  the  mother  of  the  pasha.  She  is  regarded  as  a 
fortunate  woman  to  have  been  the  mother  of  a  viceroy,  —  by 
which  she  enjoys  privileges  superior  to  all  other  females  in 
Egypt ;  and  she  has  a  further  chance  of  being  buried  in  a 
mosque,  and  becoming  a  Moslem  saint,  if  females  ever  enjoy 
that  distinction. 

In  the  course  of  inquiries  into  the  sanitary  condition  of  Cairo, 
while  we  were  up  the  river,  to  my  surprise  it  was  ascertained 
that  a  monthly  bulletin  was  issued,  —  through  the  influence, 
doubtless,  of  some  European,  —  giving  the  births  and  deaths 
of  each  month.  As  much  confidence  cannot  be  placed  in  it 
as  in  a  document  emanating  from  the  government  of  France 
or  England;  yet  it  is,  perhaps,  a  near  approximation  to  truth. 

From  the  1st  to  the  10th  of  September,  there  died  56  males, 
71  females,  and  126  infants;  total, 253.     From  the  11th  to  the 


ANCIENT   MEMPHIS.  231 

20th,  88  males,  83  females,  116  infants  ;  total,  287.  From  the 
21st  to  the  30th,  59  males,  65  females,  and  100  infants ;  total, 
224.  From  the  11th  to  the  20th  of  October,  SO  males,  87 
females,  and  121  infants;  total,  331.  The  births,  all  the  while, 
show  a  slow  increase  of  population.  Marriages  are  not  regis- 
tered, nor  the  divorces  published ;  if  they  were,  it  would  aston- 
ish the  Christian  world.  The  population  is  estimated  at  two 
hundred  thousand.  The  females,  beyond  all  question,  both  in 
Cairo  and  throughout  all  Egypt,  far  exceed  the  males  in  num- 
bers. It  is  believed  by  some  that  the  exact  population  is 
known,  as  well  as  the  exact  resources  of  each  pashalic ;  but 
policy  requires  all  such  information  should  be  kept  a  profound 
secret ;  therefore  a  census  is  never  taken. 

While  Hassan  was  making  purchases,  —  buying  a  water- 
skin,  two  casks  for  holding  water,  and  the  little  stores  were 
gradually  collecting,  —  an  excursion  was  made  to  the  site  of 
Memphis,  the  great  city,  renowned  for  its  stores  of  learning, 
where  Plato  studied  three  years,  under  the  tuition  of  the  wise 
priests.  There  is  one  single  shanty  —  occupied  by  a  slender, 
hawk-eyed  Arab  and  family  —  where  the  very  wonders  of 
architecture  formerly  stood.  Possibly  this  hut  is  not  within 
the  boundaries  of  ancient  Memphis ;  and,  if  so,  then  there  is 
not  a  solitary  mud  hovel  or  human  habitation  —  no,  not  one  — 
where  sages,  philosophers  and  metaphysicians,  expounded  doc- 
trines that  are  still  rolling  their  waves  onward  to  all  lands  and 
to  all  nations.  Plato  and  his  successors  have  sometimes  given, 
as  their  own,  what  they  acquired  in  the  palm-groves  of  Egj'pt ; 
and  had  the  Alexandrian  library  been  spared  the  flames,  we 
should  have  known  more  of  the  intellectuality,  psychological 
pursuits,  and  historical  discoveries,  of  those  old  priests,  whose 
swathed  carcasses  are  hauled  out  of  the  mummy-pits,  every  day 
in  the  year,  by  Ishmaelites,  of  whom  it  was  prophesied  that 


232  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

their  hands  should  be  against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand 
against  them. 

Among  other  memorable  doings,  we  visited  the  island  of 
Rhoda,  ransacked  the  pasha's  garden,  tasted  some  of  the  man- 
darin oranges,  examined  those  singular  exotic  trees,  —  the 
banyans,  —  which  propagate  and  extend  themselves  indefi- 
nitely by  dropping  roots  from  the  under  side  of  the  limbs,  which, 
on  catching  the  soil,  send  up  a  shaft  for  another  tree,  and  thus 
progressively,  till  some  barrier  prevents  a  further  development. 

Next,  we  went  to  the  palace  of  Shoobra,  —  a  princely  estab- 
lishment, that  must  have  originated  in  a  French  head, — 
created  by  Mohammed  All's  money.  In  all  Europe  there  is  not 
a  fountain  that  surpasses  the  fairy  representations  of  dolphins, 
crocodiles,  &c.,  in  marble,  in  and  about  a  vast  marble  basin, 
at  Shoobra,  —  large  enough  for  a  row-boat.  A  splendid  pavil- 
ion, with  gorgeously-furnished  apartments  in  two  corners,  must 
have  fully  realized  the  magic  descriptions  of  the  Arabian  Nights, 
when  first  completed,  at  the  time  the  regenerator  of  Egypt 
was  in  the  sunshine  of  political  glory.  An  assembly  of  beau- 
tiful females  bathed,  frolicked,  sang,  played  music,  and  lounged 
away  life  on  silken  divans,  in  this  magnificent  appendage  of 
the  royal  harem.  They  were  all  purchased  slaves,  or  the  gifts 
of  dependent  officers  to  the  pasha;  and  he  the  only  spectator, — 
in  short,  the  only  man  they  ever  saw.  One  of  his  favorite 
amusements  is  represented  to  have  been  to  see  a  skifT-load  of 
these  Circassian  beauties  suddenly  capsized  into  the  water, 
while  he  sat  smoking  in  state,  enjoying  the  confusion  that  fol- 
lowed the  apparent  but  not  dangerous  accident. 

The  apparatus  for  supplying  water  is  out  of  order.  The 
marble  is  dry.  Some  of  the  drapery  has  been  removed.  One 
of  the  buildings  —  the  harem  itself,  if  I  renaember  rightly  — 
has  been  taken  down  ;  and  anvbodv,  havincr  the  appearance  of 


ARAB   JLGGLEKY.  233 

a  gentleman,  may  see  the  whole,  walk  through  the  orangery, 
and  fill  his  pockets  besides,  by  simply  getting  a  permit  to  enter, 
through  a  banker,  and  feeing  the  hungry  attendants  with  back- 
shiesh  on  leaving  the  gate. 

Returning,  I  witnessed  some  surprising  feats  of  legerdemain, 
by  the  side  of  the  street,  near  the  moristan,  or  house  for  the 
insane.  Among  other  unexplained,  incomprehensible  acts,  was 
this.  A  wooden  mortar,  such  as  may  be  seen  in  poor  families 
for  pounding  coffee,  was  placed  on  the  ground,  in  the  centre 
of  a  large  circle  of  spectators.  One  of  the  company  was  asked 
to  take  it  up,  examine  it  thoroughly,  and  pass  it  round.  When 
all  were  satisfied  that  it  was  a  simple  mortar,  without  drawers 
or  secret  apartments,  it  was  replaced,  and  the  juggler,  reaching 
over,  with  bare  arms,  deposited  a  snake,  about  twenty  inches 
long,  tail  first,  in  it.  It  required  a  little  time  to  force  its  body 
down  in.  When  he  let  go,  the  reptile's  head  hung  over  the 
edge,  darting  out  its  forked  tongue  with  extreme  rapidity. 
While  every  eye  was  intently  fixed  to  that  one  point,  and  the 
exhibiter  stood  back  with  his  patrons,  the  word  was  given  to 
disappear,  and,  presto  !  the  serpent  disappeared  I  The  mortar 
was  again  inspected,  but  its  contents  could  not  be  found.  This 
was  an  extraordinary  affair ;  and,  to  this  moment,  remains  a 
perplexing  problem.     What  became  of  the  snake  ? 

Near  the  same  spot,  and,  perhaps,  in  a  dozen  other  parts  of 
the  city,  a  miniature  exhibition  is  occasionally  to  be  met  with, 
exceeding  all  scenes  of  grossness  and  vulgarity  that  could  be 
devised.  An  Arab  sits  down  on  the  ground,  having  two  iron 
spikes  driven,  not  far  from  ten  feet  apart,  a  string  being 
stretched  between  them.  At  one  end  is  a  rude  rag  figure,  —  to 
represent  an  African,  for  example,  —  and  at  the  other  a  female. 
The  pith  of  the  show  consists  in  touching  the,  cord,  so  as  to 
give  motion  to  the  puppets.  I  have  seen  a  hundred  or  two  of 
20* 


234  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

men,  women  and  children,  round  one  of  these  debasing  and 
scandalously  demoralizing  sights,  delighted  beyond  measure; 
which  shows  the  exceedingly  depraved  state  of  the  public  mind, 
and  the  still  lower  order  of  morals.  It  surprised  me  that  offi- 
cers and  gentlemen  who  were  passing  along  did  not  frown  upon 
it,  or  that  some  show  of  regard  for  the  respectability  of  the 
government  of  the  city  did  not  lead  to  an  interdiction  of  such 
a  reprehensible  show  and  abominable  corruption  of  the  public 
manners. 

Dec.  2oth.  —  Our  visits  to  Sakkara,  to  Memphis,  and  the 
great  Necropolis,  were  of  a  character  not  to  be  forgotten  ;  and, 
while  everything  is  clear,  and  distinctly  remembered,  it  is 
thought  appropriate  to  write  my  observations  at  those  memora- 
ble places. 

By  leaving  Cairo  before  daylight,  having  engaged  donkeys 
the  night  before,  Mr.  Holland  and  myself  arrived  at  the  ferry, 
four  miles  up  stream,  at  Old  Cairo,  just  after  sunrise.  "We 
crossed  over  readily,  but  had  some  slight  delay  in  landing  on 
the  Geezeh  side.  As  one  of  the  asses  positively  refused  to 
leap  out,  one  of  the  boatmen  lifted  him  over  the  side,  splash 
into  the  water,  —  the  first  incident  of  the  day. 

Every  one  who  has  surveyed  the  ground  gives  his  impres- 
sions; but  I  shall  distinguish  my  diary  by  stating  the  facts 
only,  in  regard  to  Sakkara,  leaving  all  great  conjectures  about 
the  probable  sites  of  shrines,  temples,  statues  and  sphinxes,  to 
other  travellers. 

Sakkara  is  a  sand-plain,  very  near  the  border  of  the  Libyan 
desert,  on  which  there  are  several  large  pyramids,  quite  sur- 
prising enough,  if  there  were  no  others  on  a  more  magnificent 
scale  of  magnitude,  to  have  been  objects  of  intense  interest  to 
all  men.  As  it  is,  they  are  scarcely  noticed ;  yet  they  are 
constructed  of  courses  of  hewn  stone,  and  one  is  called  the  grand, 


PYRAMIDS  OF  SAKKARA.  2oO 

because  it  overtops  the  others.  The  group  is  nine  miles  up  the 
river  from  the  pyramids  of  Geezeh.  The  blocks  of  which  they 
are  constructed,  being  of  a  loose  texture,  —  a  soft,  magnesiau 
limestone,  —  are  slowly  but  surely  decomposing.  A  ridge  of 
ashes-like  powder  lies  on  the  projecting  course  of  the  one 
below,  and  so  on,  from  the  top  to  the  base.  A  heavy  gale  of 
wind  might  blow  it  away,  and  another  collection  would  follow. 
The  foundations  of  two  pyramids  are  observed,  with  only  two 
or  three  layers  of  stone  remaining,  all  above  having  decom- 
posed, and  probably  blown  off.  By  running  a  cane  into  the 
pile,  the  shape  of  the  stones  could  be  exposed  to  view.  Thus 
a  thousand  years  more,  without  the  agency  of  man,  will  suffice 
to  obliterate  the  last  remains  of  the  pyramids  of  Sakkara.  It 
pre-supposes  about  as  many  ages  as  the  world  is  supposed  to 
have  been  formed,  for  such  vast  accumulations  of  stone  to  turn 
into  an  impalpable  pow'der,  which  could  be  borne  away  by  the 
restless  winds  of  heaven.  Sakkara  appears  originally  to  have 
been  a  plain ;  but  when  that  was,  no  chronologer  can  decide. 
It  is  on  a  terrace  of  considerable  elevation  above  the  Nile,  and 
occupied  exclusively  for  a  burial-field,  —  perhaps  a  mile  and  a 
half  long  by  half  a  mile  in  width.  Dr.  Abbott,  of  Cairo,  whose 
authority  may  be  frequently  appealed  to,  said  he  had  no  doubt 
the  necropolis  might  have  extended  all  of  fifteen  miles.  In 
about  the  probable  centre  were  the  pyramids,  sepulchres  them- 
selves, for  the  safe-keeping  of  privileged  beings,  \^liile  the  infe- 
riors, of  all  orders,  were  buried  about  them.  The  mode  of 
burial  was  this  :  pits  were  dug,  to  the  depth  of  fifty,  sixty  and 
eighty  or  more  feet,  and  w^alled  wath  he^vn  stone,  laid  in  water- 
cement,  —  where  there  were  seams  and  fractures,  —  so  tliat 
they  might  be  perfectly  tight  and  dry.  The  opening  at  the  top 
was  commanded  by  a  stone,  admirably  fitted.  Bodies  were 
mummefied,  and  then  deposited,  stratum  super  stratum,  till  the 


236  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO   EGYPT. 

pit  was  full,  when  the  cover  was  hermetically  sealed.  By  the 
side  of  it  another  was  made,  and  another,  far  beyond  the  abil- 
ity of  any  one  to  determine  how  far  or  how  nvimerous  they  are. 
Probably  this  began  to  be  neglected  when  Memphis  was  waning 
in  prosperity.  Sand  drifted  over  the  horizontal  slabs  indicat- 
ing the  pits,  which  was  not  kept  at  bay  by  the  attentions  of  the 
people,  as  formerly;  and  its  accumulation  ultimately  covered 
all  the  monuments,  and  concealed  whatever  edifices  may  have 
stood  there,  to  the  depth  of  ten,  twenty,  thirty  and  fifty  feet, 
according  to  the  character  of  the  surface, —  being  evidently  much 
deeper  in  some  places  than  in  others.  Arabs  —  fierce,  wild, 
haggard  in  their  expression,  nearly  naked,  with  children  grow- 
ing up  into  the  same  form  and  appearance  —  prowl  over  this 
great  city  of  the  dead  pei-petually;  for  there  are  but  few 
storms  to  interrupt  their  depredations,  and  their  express 
business  is  to  penetrate  down  through  the  dry  sand,  to  strike 
the  cover  of  a  pit,  which  they  rarely  miss.  Experience  has 
taught  them  how  to  proceed  to  the  best  advantage.  All  hands 
commence  by  scooping  up  the  sand  with  small  dishes,  broken 
pots,  leaky  baskets,  and  even  bags ;  but,  being  dry,  it  rolls  back 
about  as  rapidly  as  it  is  moved  from  the  centre.  The  diameter 
of  a  shaft  that  reaches  down  thirty  feet  may  require  to  be  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  is  a  complete  cone,  with  the  apex 
inverted.  The  cover  is  raised  with  despatch,  exposing  the  first 
tier  of  mummies,  which  are  dragged  out  and  carried  up,  and 
forthwith  broken  up  and  barbarously  pulled  to  pieces.  The 
hands  are  searched  for  finger-rings  and  bracelets ;  the  ears  and 
nose,  for  jewelry ;  the  neck,  for  chains,  &c. ;  and  then  shoes, 
sandals,  net-caps,  pieces  of  cotton  cloth,  and  whatever  else  may 
be  considered  of  a  farthing's  value,  are  stripped  off,  to  be  sold 
to  travellers.  Sometimes  they  strike  on  a  sarcophagus  that 
indicates  the  body  of  some  one  of  more  consequence  than  the 


PYRAMIDS    OF    SAKKARA.  237 

ordinary  run  of  vulgar  dead,  Avhich  becomes  an  object  of 
extraordinary  examination.  If  it  were  the  body  of  Psammeti- 
cus,  or  of  Cheops  himself,  its  destruction  would  be  the  more 
certain,  in  hope  of  gain.  An  inferior,  common  mummy  is  put 
into  the  fine  case,  and  fastened  as  before.  They  then  palm  it 
off  as  an  unopened  sarcophagus,  in  which  there  may  be  a  sec- 
retary of  state  to  a  Pharaoh,  or  the  daughter  of  the  high  priest 
of  the  household.  These  impositions  lead  to  ridiculous  expect- 
ations with  purchasers  from  Europe,  and  not  unfrequently 
throw  discredit  on  the  old  embalmers.  Sakkara,  therefore, 
from  the  quantities  of  human  bones,  in  all  directions,  is  a  per- 
fect Golgotha. 

In  one  particular  spot  of  that  vast  cemetery  are  pits  in  which 
are  found  vases  filled  with  eggs ;  and  not  far  from  that  spot 
are  some  extensive  excavations,  filled  with  the  mummied  ibis, 
in  coarse  earthen  jars,  piled  up  on  each  side  the  tunnel-like 
excavation.  In  other  parts  are  found  the  bones  and  mummies 
of  oxen ;  in  other  places,  those  of  sheep ;  in  others,  those  of 
dogs,  of  cats,  of  monkeys,  &c.  &c. 

A  new  interest  is  felt  in  them,  when  it  is  recollected  that 
every  one  may  have  been  buried  a  thousand  years  before  Moses 
wrote  the  history  of  the  creation.  A  phrenological  cabinet,  of 
the  very  rarest  specimens,  might  be  readily  collected  within 
the  space  of  a  few  rods  square,  and  none  be  missed.  The  head 
of  a  young  female,  bearing  a  rich  covering  of  chestnut-colored 
hair,  in  full  ringlets,  just  torn  from  the  body,  was  offered  for  a 
trifle.  I  picked  up  several  of  children.  All  the  adult  male 
skulls  were  strongly  marked,  with  bold  bumps  of  constructive- 
ness  and  veneration,  but  deficient  in  firmness.  They  could 
heap  up  stone  pyramids,  but  had  not  independence  to  rebel 
a<minst  oppressive  monarchs  or  exacting  priests.  Some  of  the 
knit  caps  taken  from  the  heads  of  the  females  were  precisely 


238  A    PILGRI.MAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

like  those  I  once  saw  upon  the  head  of  a  female  Peruvian 
mummy,  brought  to  Boston  by  Mr.  Blake,  of  that  city.  Cer- 
tainly, the  cloth  bandages  were  well  woven,  the  threads  evenly 
spun ;  and  why  its  fabric  was  not  as  good  as  those  of  modern 
manufacture  remains  to  be  shown. 

Wild  animals,  particularly  jackals,  come  down  in  the  night, 
and  gnaw  these  marrowless  bones ;  but  the  taste  and  odor  of 
the  bitumen  protects  them  from  their  destructive  teeth.  I 
took  up  lumps  of  the  composition  that  came  out  of  the  cavities 
of  the  chest  or  abdomen,  strongly  resembling  asphaltum.  Many 
curious  antiques  —  as  miniature  porcelain  mummies,  copper 
and  bronze  figures,  bronze  beetles,  hooks,  and  articles  for  which 
no  use  can  be  assigned  —  are  constantly  being  found ;  but  no 
one  pretends  to  hazard  the  mention  of  the  epoch  to  which  they 
belong.  At  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum  the  workmen  brought 
to  light  things  that  had  resisted  the  earth's  pressure  and  the 
elements  for  seventeen  centuries  ;  but  they  were  trifles  of 
to-day,  in  comparison  with  the  memorials  of  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians, which  may  have  been  in  the  mummy-pits  many  centuries 
before  Menes,  the  first  king,  began  to  reign.  Specimens  of 
sculpture  are  buried  on  this  plain,  beyond  a  question,  of 
immense  value  in  illustration  of  the  state  of  the  arts  at  an 
early  age  of  the  world.  Two  sphinxes,  the  size  of  full-grown 
lions,  beautifully  executed,  having  very  mild,  sweet  expressions, 
were  lately  drawn  out  of  a  deep  hole.  In  all  the  sculptures  of 
Egypt,  thus  far  examined,  nothing  has  come  up  to  these,  in 
point  of  facial  comeliness.  An  impression  is  indulged  that  the 
Arabs  have  struck  upon  an  avenue  of  sphinxes,  which  lead  to 
a  buried  temple,  in  front  of  the  largest  pyramid.  That  they 
were  from  the  chisel  of  a  master,  is  certain ;  and  taken  at  a 
depth  of  at  least  thirty-five  (eet  below  the  sand,  which  was  the 
primitive  level,  and  on  the  same  plane  with  the  base  of  the 


SITE   OF    ANCIENT    MEMPUIS.  239 

pyramid,  and  not  far  from  three  hundred  feet  west  of  it.  I 
should  have  rejoiced  to  have  purchased  them  for  the  Boston 
Athenaeum,  but  was  informed  that  the  pasha  had  presented 
them  to  Baron  Rothschild.  The  faces  are  superior  to  the 
sculptures  from  Nineveh,  which  I  have  studied  with  no  ordi- 
nary feelings  of  gratification.  If  the  immense  body  of  sand 
could  be  removed  from  Sakkara  to  the  terrace  lower  down,  the 
revelations  would  astonish  the  civilized  world.  I  entertain  the 
opinion  that  such  a  day  will  come ;  and  much  that  is  mysteri- 
ous in  respect  to  the  written  and  sculptured  history  of  the  first 
ages  of  the  human  famil}'',  or  that  branch  of  it  which  has  left 
enduring  monuments  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  may  hereafter 
be  read  understandingly. 

Memphis — now  Metrihenny — is  recognized  by  high  mounds, 
covered  partially  by  palm-groves,  and  an  occasional  block  of  red 
granite,  a  piece  of  polished  marble,  and  other  evidences  that 
civilization  made  its  mark  there.  Soon  after  our  visit,  it  was 
heralded  that  a  French  savan  had  discovered  the  true  location 
of  Memphis  ;  but  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  the  story.  The 
mounds  are  the  best  guides ;  and  the  whole  tenor  of  history 
and  tradition  points  to  near  Sakkara.  But  there  is  one  strong, 
and,  to  me,  conclusive  reason  for  believing  that  Metrihenny 
was  the  veritable  site  of  Memphis  ;  namely,  a  statue  of  Barneses 
II.,  a  renowned  king,  which  must  have  stood  near  where  it  was 
discovered,  because  it  is  too  massive  to  have  been  removed. 
Originally,  it  is  estimated  to  have  been  on  a  pedestal  sixty  feet 
high.  The  portion  of  it  remaining  may  be  thirty  feet  long, 
lying  on  its  face  in  a  mud-hole,  six  feet  below  the  land-level, — 
showing  all  that  depth  to  have  accumulated  since  the  statue 
was  overturned.  The  left  arm  —  from  the  shut  fingers  to  the 
shoulder  —  was  thought  to  be  twelve  feet.  It  must  have  been 
near  some  very  distinguished  edifice. 


240  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Here,  too,  is  room  for  an  antiquarian  to  build  himself  a 
name,  and  secure  a  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame. 

On  our  return,  we  passed  a  gay  Arab  wedding,  —  a  veiled 
bride,  going  to  the  hovel,  perhaps,  of  a  husband  whom  she 
never  saw,  on  a  led  horse,  followed  by  a  group  of  envious 
females,  singing  merrily,  as  they  kept  up  with  the  happy  crea- 
ture ahead.  The  husband  —  a  firm,  thick-set,  staring  fellow 
of  forty  —  was  considerably  in  advance,  on  horseback,  with  a 
rabble  of  people  footing  it  by  his  side.  He  may  have  had  three 
wives  already,  for  four  is  a  legal  number,  —  a  privilege  which 
country  village  Arabs,  to  my  certain  knowledge,  avail  them- 
selves of.  However  poor,  it  does  not  deter  them  from  copying 
the  example  of  their  superiors,  who,  if  they  do  not  avail  them- 
selves of  as  many  wives  as  they  might,  maintain  an  establish- 
ment of  female  servants,  whom  they  can  manage  more  easily, 
and  dispose  of  without  trouble,  and  with  less  delay,  than  a 
legal  wife  could  be  put  fairly  aside,  should  she  have  children, 
and  especiall}'  sons. 

This  novel  cavalcade  had  but  just  passed  out  of  sight  when 
a  painful  contrast  was  presented ;  for  we  overtook  a  party  of 
prisoners,  on  foot,  barefooted,  and  all  tied  together  with  strong 
cords,  securely  guarded  by  foot  and  horse  soldiers,  on  their 
way  to  Cairo  to  be  flogged  for  not  paying  their  taxes.  Some 
of  them  were  gray-bearded  men,  —  gray  heads  being  never 
seen,  as  their  pates  are  regularly  shaven,  —  with  several  quite 
young  fellahs,  whose  beards  had  not  grown.  They  were  hur- 
ried along  through  the  dust,  in  a  scorching  sun,  with  less 
humanity  than  would  be  shown  to  cattle,  even  among  them- 
selves. Here  poverty  is  a  crime ;  and  poor,  wretched,  bare- 
legged people,  whose  whole  lives  are  a  protracted  scene  of 
political  degradation,  —  who  know  nothing  and  have  nothing, 
—  are  cruelly  punished  for  not  meeting  promptly  the  arbitrary 


THE  FLOGGING   SYSTEM.  241 

demands  of  a  despotic  ruler.  After  suffering  very  severely, 
sometimes  the  relations  contrive  to  liberate  a  delinquent ;  and 
there  have  been  instances  where  the  fellah  has  suffered  excruci- 
atingly, rather  than  relinquish  his  money,  which  he  might 
have  done  without  losing  his  all.  This  shows  that  there  is  no 
national  feeling,  no  respect  for  government,  no  confidence  that 
their  rights  or  property  will  be  protected.  A  case  is  related  of 
a  man  who  was  punished  several  times,  and  once  to  the  extent 
of  a  hundred  lashes,  —  having,  all  along,  declared  his  inability 
to  pay  the  tax.  On  rising,  at  the  termination  of  a  repetition 
of  the  hellish  policy  of  the  law,  —  which  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  the  uncontrolled  will  of  the  pasha,  —  a  small  gold 
coin  dropped  from  his  mouth,  where  it  had  been  studiously  con- 
cealed, and  for  the  sake  of  retaining  which  he  had  been  beaten 
almost  to  jelly!  It  was  instantly  snatched  up,  and  the  right- 
eousness or  expediency  —  I  hardly  know  which  —  of  the  sys- 
tem applauded  ;  and  then  he  was  re-punished  for  the  deception. 
Under  all  this,  he  told  his  wife,  with  a  chuckle,  that  they  did 
not  get  it  till  they  were  obliged  to  flog  him  so  many  times ;  as 
though  it  were  a  praiseworthy  and  meritorious  act  of  bravery 
to  have  undergone  the  pains  of  the  damned  rather  than  part 
with  a  bit  of  gold !  My  sympathies  were  so  much  excited  in 
behalf  of  these  wretched  beings,  —  dragged  from  their  mud 
hovels,  where  there  never  was  a  comfort,  or  a  rational  social 
feeling  tov/ards  each  other,  or  a  sustaining  religious  hope  that 
they  could  comprehend,  to  a  city  which  they  were  never  per- 
mitted to  visit  till  marched  into  it,  in  fetters  and  manacles,  to 
be  brutalized  by  the  bastinado  for  not  rendering  up  what  they 
never  had,  —  that  it  threw  a  gloom  over  the  remainder  of  the 
jaunt ;  and  I  was  thankful  for  a  new  excitement,  to  divert  my 
mind  from  the  contemplation  of  a  train  of  painful  thoughts. 
■  Dec.  21th.  Friday.  —  Preparations  v/ere  going  on  for  the 
21 


242  A    PILGIIIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 

voyage  through  the  desert,  —  a  room  in  our  lodging-house 
resembling  a  grocery-shop.  AVe  are  to  travel  on  camels,  and 
not  by  railroads.  This  will  explain  the  necessity  of  making 
such  a  mountain  out  of  a  mole-hill.  We  are  going  over  a 
desolate  waste  of  barren  sand,  where  there  are  no  houses,  no 
trees,  no  security  but  our  own  powers  of  resistance,  and  the 
overawing  influence  of  Mohammed  All's  name,  to  keep  the 
Bedouin  Arabs  from  robbing  and  murdering  all  who  venture 
upon  that  broad  theatre  of  their  exploits.  They  were  sole  and 
unconditional  masters  between  Egypt  and  Palestine,  till  the 
old  warrior  outwitted  the  whole,  by  drawing  them  into  bodies, 
where  they  were  butchered  thoroughly  enough  to  convince 
them  that  it  was  good  policy  not  to  molest  travellers.  It  is  fear 
of  a  repetition  of  his  measures  that  still  keeps  them  in  check. 
They  roam  over  those  frightful  regions  with  an  elasticity  and 
freedom  of  motion  that  shows  they  acknowledge  no  allegiance 
to  God,  man,  or  the  devil.  They  are  a  cut-throat  looking  race. 
Dr.  Abbott,  with  whom  we  dined,  —  referred  to  at  page  74, 
—  has  resided  in  Cairo  many  years.  In  his  person  he  is  short 
and  thick-set,  and  dresses  in  the  costume  of  a  Turkish  gentle- 
man. He  married  an  Armenian  lady,  who  has  never  acquired 
the  English  language;  nor  has  he  a  child  able  to  speak  it. 
He  is,  therefore,  compelled  to  conform  to  them,  and  speaks 
Arabic  fluently.  His  household  is  conducted  on  the  native 
principles,  and  in  conformity  to  the  etiquette  of  Cairo  society 
we  were  entertained.  This  gentleman  has  been  eighteen  years 
in  collecting  an  exceedingly  interesting  museum  of  ancient 
Egyptian  curiosities,  illustrative  of  the  manners,  customs,  arts 
and  sciences,  in  the  Nilotic  valley,  in  the  early  ages  of  the 
world.  I  have  not  only  inspected  some  of  the  most  precious 
articles  in  detail,  but  I  have  also  been  at  the  localities  where 
they  were  found,  and  can  bear  testimony  to  their  genuineness 


DR.    ABBOTT'S   COLLECTION. 


243 


and  rarity,  and  the  value  they  possess.  It  is  the  intention 
of  the  proprietor  to  transport  the  whole  of  his  cabinet  to  the 
United  States,  for  exhibition  in  the  principal  cities.  The  col- 
lection is  calculated  to  make  a  sensation  whenever  it  arrives. 
The  sacred  bull.  Apis,  swathed  and  mummefied,  with  wide- 
spread, gilded  horns,  —  requiring  seven  stout  men  to  lift,  —  he 
said  he  had  already  sent,  by  the  way  of  Suez,  to  New  York. 
There  is  a  prohibition  against  the  export  of  any  antiquities 
from  the  country  without  the  leave  of  the  pasha.  Fearing  a 
denial  in  that  quarter,  Dr.  Abbott  thought  the  only  chance  of 
not  being  intercepted  was  to  send  the  bull  by  a  route  which 
would  never  be  suspected  as  a  way  to  America. 


SACBED   BOLI.   IIUMMT. 


This  unique  collection  may  safely  be  said  to  be  unrivalled  for 
antiquity.  I\Iany  of  the  curiosities  carry  the  mind  back  to  a 
primeval  condition  of  society.  Some  statuettes  give  an  idea  of 
the  postures,  if  not  the  pursuits,  of  certain  classes  of  people.  I 
subjoin  a  number  of  examples. 

No.  3,  in  his  catalogue,  is  a  limestone  statue  of  a  Hierogram- 
matist,  sitting,  and  exhibiting  a  volume  on  his  knees.     This 


244  A    PILauiMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Statue  is  in  good  preservation,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  instru- 
ment which  is  hung  over  its  left  shoulder,  represent- 
ing a  bag,  or  basket,  which  the  scribes  carried  with 
them;  and  hence  used,  in  the  inscriptions,  as  the 
symbolic  hieroglyphic  of  that  office,  and  of  the  art 
I .  of  writing. 

No.  9  is  a  group  of  figures  about  two  feet  high,  in  fine  lime- 
stone, from  the  quarries  of  Toura.  It  represents  a  man  in  an 
ancient  dress  and  position,  the  left  leg  slightly  advanced,  and 
his  son  sustaining  his  right  knee;  while  his  daughter,  more 
advanced  in  years,  and  in  a  kneeling  position,  sustains  his  left. 
This  group  still  preserves  much  of  its  ancient  color.  Such 
groups  are  common,  in  basso  relievo,  on  the  walls  of  the  more 
ancient  tombs.     It  is  from  the  same  tomb  in  Sakkara. 

No.  23  is  a  fragment,  in  red  granite,  of  the  left  foot  of  a 
statue  of  the  Great  Rameses.  It  is  of  colossal  proportions. 
From  Thebes. 

28.  Fragment  of  the  statue  of  an  Egyptian  lady  sitting  on  a 
stool.  In  the  line  of  hieroglyphics  down  the  front  of  her  dress 
will  probably  be  found  the  names  of  her  parents.  This  frag- 
ment is  of  elegant  design ;  and,  from  the  style,  about  the  time 
of  Rameses.     From  Sakkara. 

48.  The  wheel,  tire,  and  shafts  of  a  chariot,  found  in  a  tomb 
near  the  Pyramids  of  Dashoor.  The  wheel  has  but  six  spokes, 
like  those  chariots  represented  in  the  paintings  and  sculptures : 
these,  however,  appear  to  be  somewhat  differently  constructed, 
for  they  seem  to  have  been  strengthened  by  an  inner  circle. 

62.  Model  of  a  house,  in  which  are  various  domestic  and 
agricultural  implements,  similar  to  those  in  use  at  the  present 
day  in  the  villages  of  Upper  Egypt.     From  Thebes. 

6.  Cylindrical  toilet-box,  of  hard  wood,  engraved  in  outline, 
filled  with  some  white  composition.     It  represents  women  in 


Dii.  Abbott's  collectiox,  245 

the  approved  positions  of  Egyptian  dance,  playing  on  various 
instruments.  Bouquets  of  flowers  are  strewed  upon  tiie  floor; 
and  one  of  the  women,  as  if  to  gratify  all  the  senses  at  once, 
pours  into  the  cup  of  the  person  seated,  before  whom  the  others 
are  dancing  and  singing,  some  grateful  beverage.  A  line  of 
hieroglyphics  encircles  the  upper  part,  and  the  usual  ornament 
of  the  base  of  an  apartment  decorates  the  lower  part  of  the  box. 
This  curious  piece  of  antiquity  was  found  in  Sakkara ;  but, 
both  in  composition  and  style,  it  resembles  the  best  designs 
painted  on  the  walls  of  the  tombs  at  Thebes. 

34.  Lady's  dress-comb,  the  upper  part  representing  the  body 
of  a  lobster.     From  Sakkara. 

38.  Basket,  similar  to  those  manufactured  in  Nubia  at  the 
present  day,  containing  the  following  articles  :  —  Two  needles 
of  bronze,  two  skeins  of  thread,  a  bronze  spatula,  a  wooden 
comb,  two  alabaster  studs,  and  two  colored  porcelain  balls. 
From  Sakkara. 

42.  Small  figure,  in  hard  brown  wood,  representing  one  of 
the  Asiatic  tribes,  prostrate.  It  probably  formed  part  of  a 
group,  representing  the  king  trampling  under  foot  the  enemies 
of  Egypt.     From  Sakkara. 

72.  Lion's  head,  in  wood,  of  excellent  workmanship,  which 
formed  part  of  an  elegant  chair,  similar  to  those  represented  in 
the  Beban-el-Molook.  In  one  eye  is  still  the  remains  of  the 
gold  orb  and  blue  enamel  of  the  lid.     From  Sakkara. 

81.  Curved  stick,  such  as  is  seen  in  the  hand  of  the  hunter 
in  the  representations  of  this  ancient  employment,  in  the 
older  tombs.  It  was  used  for  throwing  at  birds ;  and,  by 
its  form,  very  probably  partook  of  the  property  of  the  beau- 
merang  of  the  New  Hollanders,  or  the  trombash,  still  in 
use  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  This  sample  is  inscribed, 
and  bears  a  cartouche  compounded  of  the  word  amun,  and 
21* 


24G  A   PILGRIJIAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Other  characters,  terminating  in  the  Q  feminine  article.  The 
cartouche  is  preceded  by  the  title  "  Royal  Daughter."  Perhaps 
this  instrument  was  used,  also,  by  the  ladies  of  those  heroic 
times,  who,  in  the  representations  above  quoted,  are  frequently 
seen  accompanying  their  fathers  or  husbands  in  a  small  boat, 
made  of  the  papyrus,  in  which,  it  appears,  the  ancient  Egyp- 
tians navigated  the  canals,  or  smaller  branches  of  the  parent 
stream,  —  which,  in  those  days,  particularly  in  the  Delta, 
abounded  in  the  papyrus  plant,  —  in  quest  of  birds  and  hip- 
popotami. There  is  a  bronze  nail  at  the  top  of  the  handle. 
This  remarkable  instrument  was  found  in  a  tomb  at  Thebes. 

82.  Fragment  of  a  walking-stick,  on  which  there  is  engraved 
a  line  of  hieroglyphics,  preceded  by  a  man  in  the  act  of  adorn- 
ing the  Theban  Triad ;  probably  in  allusion  to  the  office  of  the 
possessor,  whose  name  and  titles  are  contained  in  the  inscrip- 
tion. This  stick  is  ornamented  with  an  ivory  top.  From 
Thebes. 

S3.  Fragment  of  another  stick,  with  an  inscription.  The 
heads  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  had  their  names  inscribed  on  their 
staffs  (Numb.  17 :  2) ;  and  it  would  appear  that  the  heads  of 
families,  in  ancient  Egypt,  also  practised  this  custom ;  for  the 
chief  person,  in  the  representations  on  the  walls  of  the  ancient 
tombs,  has  always  a  staff.  All  these  sticks  are  much  longer 
than  the  modern  walking-stick.     From  Thebes. 

104.  Net,  containing  the  fruit  of  a  species  of  the  palm,  now 
nowhere  to  be  found  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  but  which  grows 
abundantly  in  some  of  the  valleys  of  the  Bishareen  desert, 
between  Korosko  and  Aboo-Hamed.     From  Thebes. 

112.  Fragment  of  a  breast-plate,  made  of  pieces  of  iron  in 
the  form  of  scales,  one  of  which  takes  the  shape  of  a  cartouche, 
and  has  stamped  thereon  the  name  of  the  Egyptian  king  Shi- 
shak,  who  invaded  Jerusalem  B.  C.  971. 


DR.  Abbott's  collection. 


247 


383.  A  row  of  wooden  dolls.     From  Thebes. 

Shelf,  Avith  terra-cotta  lamps,  of  which  the  most  worthy  is 
a  glazed  porcelain  lamp,  found  in  the  great  pyramid  of  Geezeh. 

129.  A  statue  of  Thoth,  the  most  exquisite  work  of  art  in 
the  collection.  This  beautiful  little  statue  is  only  two  inches 
and  a  quarter  high,  is  made  of  fine  limestone,  but  has  the 
appearance  of  polished  ivory.  It  is  in  perfect  preservation,  and 
of  the  most  ancient  style  of  sculpture.     From  Memphis. 

168.  Statue  of  Isis  and  Horus,  in  white  marble.  The  god- 
dess has  a  bronze  head-dress,  and  a  bronze  hawk  stands  behind 
her  throne,  which  it  embraces  with  the  expanded  wings :  these 
were  formerly  beautifully  inlaid  with  enamel,  or  other  vitreous 
substance.  The  plinth  of  this  curious  specimen  is  of  bronze, 
and  there  is  an  inscription  down  the  back  of  the  goddess. 
From  Sakkara. 

201.  One  limb  of  a  pair  of  scissors,  fantastically  terminating 
in  the  figure  of  a  prisoner.  It  is  in  bronze.  Also  a  pin,  nail, 
and  other  instruments,  in  the  same  metal.     From  Sakkara. 

Prenomen  of  the  father  of  Sesostris,  in  porcelain.  The  oval, 
which  encircles  the   name,  represents  a   double  rope.     The 


whole  is  a  good  example  of  the  style  of  hieroglyphics  of  his 
tomb  and  age.     From  Sakkara. 


248  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

43.  Large  ear-ring,  terminating  in  a  bull's  head :  it  is  of 
similar  construction  with  the  above,  being  made  of  gold  wire, 
minutely  decorated.  The  eyes  have  been  inserted,  and  it  has 
been  formerly  ornamented  with  precious  stones  in  the  horns 
and  forehead.     From  Upper  Egypt. 

49.  Beautiful  little  figure,  in  gold,  of  a  bird  with  a  human 
head.  The  wings  are  expanded.  This  figure  represents  the 
soul  departing  from  the  body,  and  resembles  one  in  the  museum 
of  the  Vatican,  found  in  Etruria.  It  and  Fig.  91  were  taken,  by 
Mr.  Abbott,  from  the  breast  of  the  mummy  of  a  priestess,  which 
was  discovered  at  Sakkara. 

31.  A  pair  of  gold  ear-rings,  hollow,  and  minutely  orna- 
mented; one  end  terminating  in  a  tiger's  head,  holding  an 
engraved  stone,  and  the  smaller  end  in  a  hook,  which  fastens 
into  the  gold  setting  of  the  stone.     From  Upper  Egypt. 

107.  A  piece  of  bread,  such  as  is  found  in  tombs,  deposited 
with  the  dead  in  Egypt;  from  which  circumstance  the  Greek 
story  of  appeasing  the  voracity  of  the  triple-headed  guardian 
of  the  entrance  to  the  dominions  of  Pluto  is  probably  derived. 
From  Thebes. 

108-9.  Three  flint  knives,  used  in  making  the  incision  into 
the  cavity  of  the  abdomen,  in  the  process  of  embalming,  —  a 
metal  instrument  not  being  considered  lawful.    From  Sakkara. 

10.  Toilet-stand,  for  containing  the  black  pigment,  called 
kohol,  for  blackening  the  margin  of  the  eyelids ;  a  custom  now, 
as  in  the  days  of  Jezebel,  prevalent  in  the  east.    From  Sakkara. 

55.  A  small  tablet,  representing  an  Egyptian  lady,  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer,  making  an  offering  to  Phre,  who  is  in  the 
position  and  habit  of  Amun,  of  whom,  also,  he  has  the  azure 
complexion.     From  Thebes. 

I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  introducing  these  particulars  for 
the   purpose    of  showing  what  skill    the   ancient   Egyptians 


DR.    ABBOTT'S    COLLECTION.  249 

possessed  in  the  arts,  and  particularly  in  the  manufacture  of 
jewelry.  Abundant  specimens  of  glass  —  colored,  plain  and 
figured  —  indicate  their  familiarity  with,  that  branch  of  indus- 
try. It  has  been  suggested,  from  some  singular  circular  pieces, 
bearing  certain  figures,  that  glass,  in  that  form,  might  have 
been  the  circulating  medium. 

They  made  curious  devices  in  ivory,  bronze,  wood  and  stone, 
thousands  of  which  have  been  found  and  lost  again,  in  the 
phases  Egypt  has  been  passing  through  in  the  last  three  thou- 
sand years ;  but,  if  civilization  triumphs  there,  and  life  and 
property  are  protected,  before  many  lustrums  pass  over  our 
heads,  new  researches  will  be  commenced,  under  better  aus- 
pices than  have  heretofore  characterized  explorations  among 
the  mummy-pits  and  temples,  and  new  and  extraordinary 
developments  may  therefore  be  reasonably  anticipated. 

Two  miniature  heads,  to  show  the  manner  of  dressing  the 
hair,  of  great  antiquity,  are  here  introduced,  in  this  cabinet; 
and  also  two  female  figures,  which  may  as  well  pass  for  spoons 
as  anything  else.  As  mere  domestic  instruments,  they  indi- 
cate the  imitative  povi^ers  of  somebody.  No.  4  has  a  mild 
expression,  and  is  decidedly  a  Caucasian  face ;  and  so,  also,  is 
No.  1 ;  but  No.  3  has  less  character. 

1.  Two  ear-rings  and  necklace  of  gold,  found  in  a  jar  at  Dur- 
dera.  These  ornaments  are  made  of  gold  leaf,  similar  to  that 
upon  which  hieroglyphics  are  usually  stamped.  There  are 
three  pendants   of  lapis   lazuli,  and  two  beads   of  blue   glass 


EAn-KING.  OVAL   PLATE. 

attached  to  the  centre,  where  is  also  an  oval  amethyst  bead, 
capped  at  each  end  with  gold.     But,  what  is  particularly  curi- 


250 


A  PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 


ous  is,  that  the  name  of  Menes  is  stamped  upon  the  ear-rings, 
and  upon  eight  oval  plates  of  the  necklace.  These  ovals  have 
a  dotted  ornament  around  them,  and  are  not  of  the  same  shape 
as  the  space  enclosing  royal  names.  The  circle  around  the 
ear-rings  is  plain,  and  in  form  a  cartouche.  At  equal  distances 
between  these  ovals  are  curiously-entwined  devices,  attached 
by  a  rude  chain,  formed  of  thin  strips  of  flattened  gold. 

Having  examined  with  care  the  necklace  of  Menes,  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  it  is  a  beautiful  piece  of  gold  working, 
that  would  be  rich  in  these  days  of  taste,  and  certainly  a  very 
costly  ornament. 

But  the  crowning  gem  of  Dr.  Abbott's  museum,  which  I  have 
also  seen,  and  had  upon  my  own  finger,  and  for  which  he  was 
offered  by  an  English  nobleman  two  thousand  dollars,  —  the 
genuineness  of  which  is  not  called  in  question  by  profound 
Egyptian  antiquarians,  —  is  the  signet-ring  of  Cheops,  the 
builder  of  the  largest  of  the  pyramids  at  Geezeh. 

2.  Signet-ring,  bearing  the  name   of  Shoofoo,   the   Suphis 


Fig.  1. 


r;-.  G. 


(Cheops)  of  the  Greeks.     In  shape  and  dimensions  it  resem- 
bles Figure  1,  and  the  size   of  the   impression  exactly  corrc- 


DR.    ABBOTT'S    COLLECTION.  253 

spends  to  Fi^re  2.  Figure  3  is  a  magnified  representation  of 
the  inscription  engraved  on  it.  This  remarkable  piece  of 
antiquity  is  in  the  highest  state  of  preserv^ation,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  found  at  Geezeh,  in  a  tomb  near  the  excavation  of 
Colonel  Vise,  called  Campbell's  tomb.  It  is  of  fine  gold,  and 
weighs  nearly  three  sovereigns.  The  style  of  the  hieroglyph- 
ics is  in  perfect  accordance  with  those  in  the  tombs  about  the 
great  pyramid,  and  among  the  hieroglyphics  within  the  oval  is 
the  name  of  that  Pharaoh  of  whom  the  pyramid  was  the  tomb. 
The  details  are  minutely  accurate,  and  beautifully  executed. 
The  heaven  is  engraved  with  stars ;  the  fox,  or  jackal,  has  sig- 
nificant lines  within  its  contour ;  the  hatchets  have  their  han- 
dles bound  with  thongs,  as  is  usual  in  the  sculptures ;  the 
volumes  have  the  string  which  binds  them  hanging  below  the 
roll,  differing  in  this  respect  from  any  example  in  sculptured 
or  painted  hieroglyphics.  The  determinative  for  country  is 
studded  with  dots,  representing  the  sand  of  the  mountains  at 
the  margin  of  the  valley  of  Egypt.  The  instrument,  as  in  the 
larger  hieroglyphics,  has  the  tongue  and  semilunar  mark  of  the 
sculptured  examples ;  as  is  the  case  also  with  the  heart-shaped 
vase.  The  name  is  surmounted  with  the  globe  and  feathers, 
decorated  in  the  usual  manner ;  and  the  ring  of  the  cartouche 
is  engraved  with  marks  representing  a  rope,  —  never  seen  in 
the  sculptures;  and  the  only  instance  of  a  royal  name  simi- 
larly encircled  is  a  porcelain  example  in  this  collection,  en- 
closing the  name  of  the  father  of  Sesostris.  The  O  in  the 
name  is  placed  as  in  the  examples  sculptured  in  the  tombs, 
not  in  the  axis  of  the  cartouche.  The  chickens,  or  duck- 
lings, have  their  unfledged  wings ;  the  Cerastes  its  horns,  now 
only  to  be  seen  with  the  magnifying  glass.  These  differences 
are  highly  in  favor  of  its  genuineness ;  for  it  is  improbable  that 
a  fabricator  would  have  ventured   to  have  deviated  from  the 


254 


A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 


more  known  examples,  even  if  he  could  have  succeeded  in  coun- 
terfeiting the  style  of  the  period  to  which  the  name  belongs. 

3.  Ring,  of  fine  gold,  bearing  a  royal  name,  found  in  a 
wooden  box  at  Thebes. 

4.  A  gold  ring,  with  the  figure  of  Isis,  sitting.  It  is  solid, 
of  the  shape  called  opisphendone.     From  Sakkara. 

5.  Ring,  of  fine  gold,  with  a  figure  of  the  lion-headed  god- 
dess engraved  in  two  cartouches,  each  surmounted  with  the 
two  feathers,  that  are  usual  on  royal  names.     From  Sakkara. 

6.  Scarabseus,  on  a  pivot  of  gold,  forming  a  ring.  It  has 
the  name  of  Tothmes  III.,  —  according  to  some,  the  Pharaoh 
of  the  Exodus.     From  Sakkara. 

7.  Ring,  of  gold,  in  which  are  tastefully  arranged  two  blue 
stones  and  one  red  one.     From  Thebes. 

8.  Ring,  of  gold,  with  a  pyramidal  stone.     From  Sakkara. 

9.  Ring,  of  gold,  with  a  square  plate.     From  Sakkara. 

10.  Ring,  with  a  cornelian  scarabaeus.     From  Sakkara. 

11.  Ring,  of  silv^er,  solid,  and  of  the  Greek  form.  It  bears 
the  name  of  Amunoph.     From  Sakkara. 

12.  Square  ring,  of  silver,  with  the  name  of  Tothmes.  From 
Sakkara. 

13.  Silver  ring,  very  thin.     From  Sakkara. 

Through  Dr.  Abbott,  new  and  important  medical  facts  were 
collected.  He  is  a  believer  in  the  non-contagious  character  of 
the  plague,  and  perfectly  coincides,  in  that  respect,  with  Clot 
Bey.  He  assured  me  that  he  visited  plague-patients  as  he 
does  all  others,  without  any  apprehensions  of  danger  to  him- 
self, and  regardless  of  all  precautions.  Were  it  not  that  it  is 
both  impossible  and  indiscreet  to  write  out  all  the  speculations 
that  are  gathered  in  Egypt,  in  relation  to  its  ancient  history, 
and  civil,  political  and  sanitary  condition,  the  theory  might  be 
discussed  which  declares  that  men  and  all  the  domestic  animals 


OUTFIT    FOR    THE    DESERT    JOURNEY.  255 

were  made  into  mummies  to  preserve  the  public  health,  —  the 
plague  being  first  developed,  or  re-developed,  when  the  dead 
were  put  into  the  ground  to  decompose.  There  is  something 
in  this  idea  worth  following  out.  The  present  inhabitants 
bury  superficially,  without  coffins.  All  the  burying-fields  are 
immensely  large,  and  they  are  very  numerous.  But  that  is  not 
all;  vast  accumulations  of  bodies  are  not  unfrequently  found  in 
small  yards,  near  the  streets,  which,  in  the  hot  climate  of  Cairo, 
must  modify  the  atmosphere  very  considerably,  by  loading  it 
with  putrid  animal  exhalations.  No  poison  is  said  to  be  so 
virulent  and  fatal  as  the  putrescent  matter  of  a  human  body, 
—  the  material  with  which  the  negroes  of  Africa  charge  their 
arrows  for  fatal  execution  against  their  enemies. 

Dec.  2St/i.  Saturday.  —  Took  our  departure  from  Cairo 
about  eleven  o'clock  this  morning,  with  six  camels,  two  being 
called  dromedaries.  We  were  accompanied  by  Hassan  —  a 
tall,  strong,  good-looking  Arab,  who  would  pass,  in  Christian 
clothes,  for  a  European  —  and  his  African  slave,  Buckheat, 
who  had  charge  of  the  animals;  and  with  these  two  —  neither 
of  whom  could  speak  a  word  of  English  —  we  pushed  out  into 
the  desert  of  Arabia.  One  camel  was  laden  with  two  water- 
casks,  of  nearly  the  ordinary  capacity  of  barrels ;  another  had  a 
tent,  and  a  wooden  chest,  secured  by  a  padlock,  containing  hard 
bread,  coffee,  sugar,  tin  canisters  of  prepared  meats,  sardines,  tin 
plates,  tin  cups,  and  such  table  furniture  as  would  bend  before 
it  would  break.  This  box  is  called  a  canteen.  Then  there  was 
rice,  and  some  chocolate,  which  had  been  presented  to  me  by 
Mr.  Baker,  the  great  American  manufacturer  of  that  article,  at 
Boston.  There  was  also  a  bag  of  charcoal,  and  a  goat-skin, 
taken  off  whole,  filled  with  water,  for  the  camel-drivers. 
Another  camel  was  laden  with  beans  and  barley,  for  the  ani- 
mals.   Added  to  this,  our  perso'?al  baggage  —  twice  as  much  as 


256  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGTPT. 

was  necessary,  with  our  mattresses,  big,  shaggy  over-coats,  with 
capotes,  a  box  containing  a  dozen  bottles  of  ale,  besides  little 
parcels  and  packages,  belonging  to  the  Arabs — making  four 
stout  loads. 

Two  of  the  camels  were  for  our  personal  service ;  —  gaunt, 
shabby-haired  creatures,  with  long,  serpentine  necks,  having 
saddles  of  the  stiffest,  ugliest,  and  most  uncomfortable  form, 
without  stirrups,  but  with  a  high  wooden  pin,  large  as  a  man's 
wrist,  standing  bolt  up  in  front  and  behind.  By  spreading  the 
Constantinople  coats  twD  or  three  double,  we  could  sit  with 
tolerable  comfort  between  the  pins.  The  camels,  tied  one  to 
the  other,  were  led  from  the  narrow  lane,  where  they  were 
laden,  —  all  kneeling  at  once  to  receive  their  burdens,  —  out- 
side the  gate,  towards  Shoobra.  All  three  of  the  sheiks  who 
were  interested  in  the  bargain,  as  specified  in  a  contract, 
made  their  appearance,  to  take  leave,  but  more  especially  to 
beg  for  backshiesh.  A  part  of  the  contract  had  been  paid 
down,  and  the  remainder  was  to  be  handed  over  to  Hassan,  at 
the  termination  of  the  journey.  Hassan,  the  Nile  dragoman, 
also  followed  outside  the  city,  to  wish  us  well,  and  get  a  sop 
of  backshiesh. 

We  now  mounted,  took  leave  of  all  who  honored  us  by  a 
parting  walk  to  the  wall,  and  started  for  the  sand-hills.  Instead 
of  striking  off  easterly,  the  sheik  inclined  north-easterly,  which 
gave  us  a  fine  opportunity  to  see  all  the  settlements,  palm- 
groves  and  vegetation,  on  the  borders  of  the  sand.  The  walk 
of  the  camels,  by  a  watch,  was,  upon  an  average,  two  miles 
and  a  half  an  hour,  and  no  more.  The  motion  was  extremely 
unpleasant  to  a  beginner,  being  a  sudden  jerk  back  and  forward, 
without  any  variation.  The  rider  must  keep  a  bright  look-out, 
not  to  be  snapped  in  two,  or  get  impaled  on  one  of  the  saddle- 
pins.     By  four  o'clock,  p.  m.,  we  were  brought  to  an  apology 


ANCIENT  HELIOPOLIS.  257 

for  a  town,  called  Houk.  There  was  a  narrow  street,  with  a 
bazaar,  where  soft  bread,  pipes,  coffee,  dates,  corn,  oranges, 
&c.,  could  be  purchased.  Hassan  led  the  way  into  a  sort  of 
barn-yard,  through  a  gate,  from  the  street.  Each  side,  on 
entering,  had  a  raised  stone  platform,  under  a  roof  of  poles, 
covered  with  straw  and  loose  palm-boughs.  That  was  our 
place  of  lodgment ;  our  apparatus  for  cooking,  beds,  and  other 
property,  being  piled  up  in  a  corner.  The  camels  were  tied  in 
the  yard,  and  fed  on  pounded  dry  straw,  in  which  there  may 
have  been  a  quart  of  horse-beans  for  each.  There  we  slept  on 
mother  earth,  —  the  only  place  for  travellers,  and  more  securely 
than  if  encamped  outside  the  town.  Between  the  fleas  and 
other  vermin,  which  made  an  immediate  attack,  the  night  was 
one  of  warfare  and  bloodshed.  Our  ankles  appeared  to 
have  the  measles,  and  our  bodies  as  though  they  had  had 
a  charge  of  hot  shot.  It  gave  us  the  best  realization  of  the 
plagues  of  Eg}^pt  we  had  experienced.  A  voluntary  or 
appointed  guard  —  I  know  not  which — made  their  appearance, 
and  demanded  backshiesh,  for  seeing  us  safely  through  the 
night.  The  service  of  keeping  off  these  hungry  fleas  would 
have  been  paid  more  cheerfully. 

On  the  way  from  Cairo,  we  turned  aside  to  find  the  site  of 
the  renowned  Heliopolis,  indicated  by  a  place  kno\vn  as  Mata- 
reeh.  Hassan  ran  from  one  slight  elevation  to  another,  to 
descry  the  Needle,  as  he  called  a  solitary  red  granite  obelisk, 
of  the  reign  of  Orsirtasen  I.,  who  ascended  the  throne  1740 
years  before  Christ,  and  reigned  forty-three  years.  According 
to  Strabo,  it  was  a  magnificent  city,  with  a  temple  of  amazing 
splendor,  approached  through  avenues  of  sphinxes,  twenty  feet 
apart ;  several  lofty  propyla,  and  the  sacred  temple  of  the  sun 
within,  and  the  walls  covered  with  colossal  figures.  But  one 
solitary  vestige  remains,  of  the  opulent  and  ancient  abode  of 


258  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

an  order  of  priests  of  whose  knowledge  little  is  known,  save 
that  their  learning  gave  a  character  to  Heliopolis,  which  in 
Scripture  is  called  On.  The  obelisk  is  sixty-eight  feet  two 
inches  high,  from  the  pedestal.  The  ground  has  been  raised, 
all  round  it,  above  the  original  level.  One  side  is  six  feet  one 
inch  wide  on  the  north-east,  and  six  feet  three  inches,  on  the 
east  and  west.  The  mound  where  the  city  stood  is  recognized. 
There  is  a  small  hut  near  the  obelisk,  which  is  fenced  into  a 
garden,  and  a  few  paras  are  demanded  for  opening  the  gate. 
Not  far  from  this  is  the  tomb  of  the  renowned  Malek  Adel,  who 
began  to  reign  in  686.  Here  the  balm  of  Gilead  was  raised, 
on  land  owned  by  Cleopatra,  the  trees  having  been  brought 
from  Judea.  At  Heliopolis  Moses  is  represented  to  have  been 
educated  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians. 

Dec.  2Qth.  Sunday.  —  Put  up  last  night  at  Tel  Basta,  whose 
high,  irregular  mound  points  out  the  site  of  another  city,  of 
remote  antiquity,  —  Bubastis,  the  Pibeseth  of  the  Bible ;  and, 
still  further  off  in  the  mist  of  far  remoter  ages,  the  city  of 
Pasht,  the  hunting  goddess  of  Egypt.  Like  all  the  mounds 
I  have  scrutinized,  it  is  of  broken  brick,  pottery,  hewn  stone  and 
filth.  Herodotus  describes  it  graphically,  and  says  it  was  truly 
rich  in  sculptures,  and  whatever  could  give  character  to  its  pub- 
lic edifices.  Rameses  the  Great,  who  figured  in  the  world's 
history  1355  years  before  Christ,  left  his  name  here.  Here 
may  be  seen  the  old  canal  of  Arsinoe,  which  connected  the 
Nile  with  the  Red  Sea,  —  a  work  of  surprising  labor,  and  of 
no  ordinary  interest,  considering  that  it  was  dug,  according  to 
Strabo,  by  Sesostris,  before  the  Trojan  war.  Others  give  the 
credit  of  the  enterprise  to  Psammeticus  II.,  600  years  before 
our  era,  at  the  period  of  the  captivity  of  Jehoiakim. 

We  were  marched  into  a  shed,  with  openings  large  enough 
for  a  sheep  to  leap  through,  awfully  filthy,  and  found  our  treas- 


PETRIFIED    WOOD.  259 

ures  about  us.  Our  day's  journey  had  not  brought  us  beyond 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  fleas;  we  were  less  able  to  contend 
against  them  than  previously,  from  the  loss  of  vitality.  For 
the  use  of  the  yard,  security,  and  lodging  on  a  bed  of  vermin 
almost  strong  enough  to  carry  us  on  their  backs,  there  was  a 
charge  of  seventeen  cents,  of  our  currency,  —  cheap,  and  yet 
how  dear !  The  camel  knelt  down  for  me  to  mount ;  and,  as 
soon  as  I  had  flung  one  limb  over  the  saddle,  he  raised  up  his 
stern  so  instantaneously  as  to  throw  me  over  his  head,  and 
plunge  me  into  the  sand ;  but  the  fright  exceeded  the  hurt. 
The  sand  blew  furiously,  cutting  like  a  wire,  intermixed  with 
fine  particles  of  dust  from  the  mounds.  This  obliged  us  to 
put  on  gauze  veils,  which  we  had  taken  the  precaution  to  have 
made  in  Naples,  with  reference  to  this  journey. 

Passing  the  gathering-place  of  the  returning  pilgrims  from 
Mecca,  we  were  gratified  with  the  opportunity  of  witnessing 
the  assembly.  Tents  were  pitched  on  the  sand,  and  their  fine 
Arab  steeds  were  hampered.  The  whole  were  to  wait  till  the 
pasha's  mother  should  arrive,  when  a  grand  procession  would 
enter  Cairo.  Several  large  tents  were  gayly  painted,  and 
there  were  camels,  donkeys,  men  gayly  dressed,  and  veiled 
women ;  all  holy,  in  their  own  estimation,  for  they  had  been 
seven  times  round  the  Caaba,  and  had  prayed  before  the  sepul- 
chre of  their  prophet.  There  were  small  logs  of  petrified  wood 
lying  about  on  the  sand,  appearing  like  portions  of  a  limb  of  a 
tree  converted  into  flint.  Quite  a  collection  might  be  made  of 
them,  if.  a  person  chose  to  be  at  the  expense  of  camels  to  con- 
vey them  away.  The  petrified  forest  is  more  imaginary  than 
real.  I  am  perplexed  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  this  silicified 
wood ;  whether  it  was  manufactured  by  nature  here,  or  has 
been  transported  from  a  distance,  is  a  question  for  geologists. 

Unfortunately,  the  water-skin  sprung  a  leak,  this  morning, 


260  A  PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

and  half  its  precious  contents  was  wasted.  A  few  paras  were 
the  means  of  refilling  it.  Being  fatigued  by  riding  without 
stirrups,  I  caused  an  amusing  scene  by  inquiring  where  a  bit 
of  rope  could  be  purchased.  Nothing  but  whip-lashes  were  to 
be  had  in  the  bazaar.  My  inquiry  for  rope  —  using  the  Arabic 
word  —  excited  some  commotion  ;  and  a  youngster  bethought 
him  that,  at  a  certain  house,  near  the  mosque,  there  was  a 
cord.  Down  I  went  to  the  premises ;  but,  instead  of  a  man,  a 
woman  opened  the  door  to  my  rap.  My  Frank  dress  and  shorn 
face  startled  her  quite  as  much  as  the  sight  of  a  female  sur- 
prised me.  She  slammed  the  door  to,  instanter.  Back  I 
went  for  the  person  who  gave  the  information,  and  we  returned 
together.  After  some  parleying,  a  number  of  women  —  sutR- 
ciently  veiled  not  to  be  scandalized  —  came  out,  with  the  rope, 
which  was  purchased  for  six  piastres,  —  thirty  cents.  A  bat- 
talion of  boys,  by  this  time,  had  gathered  about ;  and  they  all 
followed,  helter-skelter,  to  ascertain  whether  I  was  intending  to 
hang  myself  or  one  of  the  citizens.  My  friend,  the  ambassa- 
dor, succeeded  in  driving  them  off. 

An  old,  broken-down  Italian  introduced  himself  as  a  health- 
officer,  and  wished  to  vise  our  passports ;  but,  as  this  was  not 
his  business,  his  services  were  declined.  He  accosted  me  in 
another  character,  and  announced  himself  as  a  physician ;  and, 
thereupon,  begged  a  bottle  of  beer  from  a  brother  professional, 
although,  a  moment  before,  he  invited  me  to  go  and  get  a  drink 
of  brandy  with  him. 

Being  once  more  under  way,  braced  in  the  new  stirrups, 
striking  off  more  towards  the  sun-rising,  with  nothing  but  sand 
before  us,  we  were  slowly  progressing  in  our  journey,  when. 
in  the  distance,  a  singular  vehicle  hove  in  sight,  which  turned 
out  to  be  an  odd  sort  of  coach-body,  slung  on  two  long  poles, 
sustained  by  two  camels,  harnessed  in,  like  a  horse,  between 


FIRST   ENCAMPMENT   IN   THE    DESERT.  261 

the  thills  in  front,  and  the  rear  camel  following,  holding  up  the 
other  extremities.  The  conclusion  was  that  a  harem  was  being 
transported  across  the  desert  to  Cairo.  While  gazing  curiously 
upon  the  odd  but  comfortable  car,  a  dromedary  came  swiftly 
pacing  over  the  sand,  mounted  by  an  Arab,  fantastically  dressed 
in  slouched  sleeves,  parti-colored  head-dress  with  dangling 
fringe,  red  boots,  and  a  sword  and  pistols  in  his  girdle.  As 
soon  as  he  came  alongside,  to  my  amazement,  he  called  rrfe  by 
name,  and  inquired  in  regard  to  my  health,  &c.  He  was  asked 
how  he  knew  who  I  was.  "  Why,  you  used  to  call  on  my 
master.  Col.  Willoughby,  in  Paris ;  don't  you  remember  me  ? " 
True  enough,  he  was  a  servant  whom  I  knew  there ;  and  the 
supposed  harem  consisted  only  of  the  veritable  Col.  Willoughby, 
of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  just  emerging  from  the  desert,  having 
come  from  Jerusalem.  Being  in  poor  health,  this  contrivance 
was  rigged  to  convey  him  with  more  ease  than  it  could  be 
accomplished  on  a  camel  or  horse.  I  sent  a  card  to  him,  with 
compliments  and  good  wishes. 

Desert  of  Arabia,  Dec.  SOtk.  Monday.  —  First  encampment 
on  the  sand,  away  from  all  settlements,  —  the  sun  going  down 
below  the  horizon  into  the  real  gravel.  The  wind  was  blowing 
a  gale.  A  few  dry,  shrivelled  branches  of  thorny  shrubs,  and 
an  occasional  tuft  of  coarse  grass,  were  noticed,  which  the  cam- 
els seized  with  a  relish,  —  browsing  as  they  travelled.  Hassan, 
the  sheik,  was  a  mile  or  more  ahead,  in  pursuit  of  a  safe 
encamping-ground,  when  a  tall,  mouse-colored  houndfcame 
suddenly  very  near  our  trail,  —  the  camels  being  tied  in  sin- 
gle file,  the  foremost  led  by  Buckheat.  Without  reflection,  I 
called  to  him,  chirped,  &c. ;  and  he  immediately  trotted  within 
about  a  rod.  This  frightened  my  camel,  and  away  he  sprang, 
breaking  the  halter,  and  cantering  and  leaping  at  a  frightful 
rate.    In  one  of  his  vaultings,  he  threw  me  over  the  saddle-pins  ; 


If 


262  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

and  I  fell  ten  feet,  on  the  hard  gravel-pan,  quite  as  bad  as  a 
bed  of  granite.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  thick  overcoat,  acting 
as  a  cushion,  my  shoulder  and  right  thigh  would  certainly 
have  been  fractured  or  dislocated.  The  contusion  was  very 
severe  indeed.  The  contents  of  some  of  my  pockets  were  lost ; 
and,  among  other  lamented  articles,  an  excellent  penknife, 
purchased  in  London,  that  seemed  indispensable  in  travelling. 
After  the  camel  had  raced  till  he  was  satisfied,  Hassan  caught 
him ;  but  his  search  for  the  lost  effects  was  fruitless.  Stiff  and 
bruised  as  I  was,  my  diary  was  written,  by  a  paper  lantern  held 
close  to  my  feet. 

By  good  fortune,  we  fell  in,  just  at  dark,  with  Mr.  John  C. 

>•  ^    ^     Culburton,  of  New  Albany,  Indiana,  who  was  crossing  from 

^'     Palestme  to  Egypt,  and  with  whom  I  was  slightly  acquainted, 

having  formerly  met  him  at  Matlock,  in  England.     Our  tents 

were  pitched  near  together ;  and,  by  mixing  stores  and  clubbing 

'-.     dishes,  we  were  his  guests  at  supper,  while  our  Arabs  were 

smoking  and  jabbering  outside.     The  camels  were  cast  in  a 

circle  round  the  tent,  with  their  heads  inward,  with  a  bit  of 

rope,  to  confine  the  fore-leg  doubled  upon  itself,  so  that,  if  they 

■~-  rose,  they  must  hobble  upon  three  legs.     This  is  a  universal 

precaution  taken  with  these  animals,  wherever  I  have  met  with 

'  them,  at  night.     A   little   bag,  containing  some  three  or  four 

quarts  of  dry,  pounded  straw, —  fine  as  though  it  had  been 

broken   in  a   mortar,  —  mixed  with  an  ordinary  measure   of 

beans,  of  from  one  to  two  quarts,  slung,  by  a  bail,  back  of  their 

ears,  was  their  supper.     Not  a  drop  of  water  was  or  could  be 

;         given  them.     Camels  are  exceedingly  fond  of  beans.     I  have 

seen  a  camel  go  without  his  supper,  after  carrying  a  heavy 

/burden,  in  a   hot  sun,  all  day,  rather  than  feed  on   barley. 

-i*'  "  Horses,  in  Egypt,  are  equally  eager  for  the  same  food. 

-     ^     There  was  no  sign  of  a  track  on  the  hard  pan ;  but,  where 


SECOND    DAY    IN    THE   DESERT.  263 

the  sand  drifted,  tracks  were  not  unfrequently  observed.  Signs 
of  drenching  rains  were  distinctly  indicated  by  the  deep  furrows 
gullied  into  the  gravel-beds  by  the  running  water.  Exceed- 
ingly well-marked  jasper  pebbles,  cleft  in  two,  as  if  effected 
by  a  chisel,  were  everj^where  strewn  around.  The  concentric 
circles,  of  different  colors,  were  they  ground,  would  be  very 
beautiful  for  ear-rings  and  bosom-pins.  Hassan  contrived  to 
get  very  near  when  any  food  was  in  sight.  Like  his  country- 
men, he  is  an  arrant  beggar,  not  by  asking  outright,  but  by 
eying  wishfully,  as  a  dog  does  while  waiting  for  crumbs.  For 
himself  and  Buckheat,  he  brought  about  a  peck  of  millet-meal, 
—  very  similar  to  Indian-corn  meal,  —  without  a  drop  of  water. 
They  subsisted  thus :  Out  of  the  skin,  a  little  water  was 
mixed  with  the  meal,  kneaded,  by  the  hand,  in  a  wooden  bowl, 
and  then  flattened.  An  hour  or  two  before  encamping-time, 
wherever  a  twig  or  a  dead  root  could  be  picked  up,  it  was 
thrown  on  the  top  of  the  luggage,  and  thus  fuel  was  col- 
lected to  make  a  fire.  In  the  hot  coals  and  ashes,  raked 
open,  the  cake  was  placed,  and  covered.  When  baked,  it  had 
a  leather}'-,  doughy  toughness ;  and  that  was  their  supper. 
Generally  two  were  baked,  and  one  saved  for  their  breakfast,  — 
which  was  taken  about  nine  o'clock,  next  morning,  while  walk- 
ing by  the  side  of  the  camels.  When  we  had  finished  our 
breakfast,  before  daylight,  a  tin  cup  of  coffee,  thick  and  black, 
was  given  them,  which  master  and  slave  took  cosily  together. 

Dec.  31.  Tuesday.  —  This  was  the  last  day  of  1850  ;  and 
we  were  encamped  in  company  with  a  large  caravan  of  sixty 
camels,  laden  with  merchandise,  bound  to  Kamlah,  the  ancient 
Arimathea,  in  Palestine.  With  them  v.'as  u  German  Jew,  a 
Russian  Jew,  one  Syrian,  and  a  large  company  of  Arabs. 
There  were  represented,  in  this  collection  of  strangers,  in  this 
loneliest  of  places,  the  four  continents.     Considerable  time  was 


264  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

lost,  in  the  forenoon,  by  wandering  out  of  the  direct  route, — 
it  costing  us  five  piastres  to  pay  a  Bedouin,  whom  the  sheik 
hailed  at  a  distance,  to  put  him  on  the  track. 

Passed  two  large  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep,  in  the  open  des- 
ert, browsing,  as  they  went,  on  the  tc^s  of  sparsely-set  shrubs, 
and  managed  by  a  lone  Arab  female.  There  was  neither  kral, 
house  nor  hut,  to  be  seen  in  any  direction.  When  we  drew 
nigh,  she  squatted  down,  and  drew  her  ragged  veil  closely  over 
her  dingy  face.  She  had  on  only  a  single  blue  garment,  —  a 
loose  frock.  Saw  a  singular  toad,  with  a  long  tail,  very  rapid 
in  its  movements.  Had  a  peep  at  an  owl.  Snails,  from  the 
size  of  a  pea  to  those  of  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
abound,  adhering  to  the  under  side  of  the  thorn-bushes.  Empty 
snail-shells  are  scattered  over  the  sand  everywhere,  rolled  about 
by  the  wind.  The  Jews  in  our  company  informed  us  they  were 
from  Calcutta,  where  they  had  been  with  indigo,  which  was 
picked  up,  in  small  parcels,  in  Egypt,  as  they  went  on.  They 
both  wished  to  set  eyes  on  the  holy  city  of  their  fathers,  Jeru- 
salem. 

Jan.  1,  1851.  Wednesday.  —  This  is  written  on  the  Des- 
ert of  Arabia,  but  in  what  latitude  or  longitude  the  deponent 
sayeth  not.  This  is  the  first  day  of  a  new  year ;  and  I  am 
writing  this  page  in  a  tent,  set  up  in  the  clean  sand,  near  a 
brackish  fountain  of  water,  known  as  the  Well  of  Arass,  where 
caravans  usually  stop  for  the  night,  and  water  their  camels. 
It  is  the  fifth  day  from  Cairo.  Several  large  caravans  have 
been  discovered  to-day,  in  different  directions,  right  and  left ; 
but,  as  the  exact  course  is  not  defined,  those  crossing  the  desert, 
either  way,  seldom  meet  near  enough  to  speak.  Like  ships  at 
sea,  they  see  each  other  at  a  distance,  but  signals  have  not 
been  adopted  for  carrying  intelligence  either  way. 

A  glimpse  was  had  of  the  extensive  mound  on  which  Onias 


INCIDENTS   OF   THE   JOURNEY.  265 

—  a  son  of  the  Jewish  high  priest  in  the  time  of  Ptolemy  Philo- 
meter — erected  a  temple,  surrounded  by  a  city,  which  was 
called  Onion,  one  hundred  and  eighty  years  before  Christ. 
Josephus  explains  the  history  of  this  novel  transaction,  by 
which  the  ambitious  priest  hoped  to  draw  off  the  Jews  to 
Egypt;  and  the  king  hoped,  by  giving  consent  for  them  to 
concentrate  there,  to  strengthen  his  own  hands  against  a  subtle 
enemy,  Antiochus. 

Soon  after  leaving  another  watering  locality,  we  met  Mrs, 
Barton,  of  Philadelphia,  with  two  other  ladies,  and  a  dragoman. 
They  had  accidentally  been  separated  from  their  caravan  ;  and 
we,  having  seen  the  animals  but  a  little  while  before,  at  a  dis- 
tance, readily  put  them  on  the  right  direction.  This  is  very 
dangerous  business,  to  ride  off  from  the  main  body  of  the  troop, 
where  there  are  no  landmarks,  no  guides,  and  nothing  to  sub- 
sist on  in  case  of  being  lost. 

Snails  were  so  very  plenty  as  to  be  a  subject  of  constant 
observation.  I  perceived  why  all  the  scanty  shrubs  are  pro- 
tected by  innumerable  thorns  :  it  has  reference  to  the  protection 
of  those  harmless  creatures,  which  must  subserve  some  import- 
ant purpose  in  the  economy  of  nature,  in  these  desert  regions, 
which  naturalists  have  not  explained. 

Passed  two  great  flocks  of  goats,  governed  by  two  Bedouin 
females,  veiled,  of  course,  —  for  it  is  a  disgrace  to  show  their 
faces,  even  to  their  flock,  one  might  suppose,  from  the  closeness 
with  which  their  veils  are  held  on.  They  were  alone.  Where 
they  came  from,  or  how  they  could  find  their  home,  was  a  mys- 
tery. Not  a  hut,  tree  or  shelter,  to  be  seen,  though  the  field  of 
vision  took  in  a  circle  of  several  miles.  Several  Bedouin  Arabs 
passed  us,  —  downcast,  black-eyed,  cut-throat  looking  fellows, 
with  one  exception.  We  marked  one  of  the  band  as  being  a 
finely-proportioned  man,  whose  salaam  was  quite  imperial.  We 
23 


266  A    PILGKIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

encamped  with  the  same  caravan,  having  been  in  company 
through  the  day.  Weather  charming ;  warm  through  the  day, 
with  keen,  clear  air  at  night. 

All  the  desert  fountains  seen  thus  far  were  from  six  to  ten 
feet  below  the  hard  pan,  which  is  the  common  land-level. 
Sand,  however,  accumulates  round  them,  and  constant  attention 
is  required  to  keep  it  out.  When  we  came  to  one,  the  Arabs 
would  get  down  to  it,  —  there  being  palm-tree  logs  thrown  in, 
crosswise,  to  stand  upon.  By  bailing  out  the  sand  and  water 
together,  a  while,  there  was  a  chance  for  dipping  up  a  bucket- 
full  of  water.  A  skin,  doubled  up  at  the  corners,  is  the  usual 
dipper.  Nearly  every  person  in  a  caravan  —  certainly  all  the 
drivers  —  has  a  sheepskin,  with  the  wool  on,  which  serves  all 
imaginable  purposes ;  and  with  it  they  can  go  through  the  hard- 
ships of  desert-life  with  a  light  heart,  —  it  being  the  one  thing 
needful,  with  them,  above  all  others.  When  running  on  foot, 
if  there  happens  to  be  a  cold  blast,  the  skin  is  suspended  from 
the  neck  by  a  string,  and,  hanging  down  in  front,  or  over  the 
shoulder,  towards  the  wind,  makes  them  perfectly  comfortable. 
The  skin  is  shifted  with  each  change  of  wind.  When  they  crawl 
up  on  the  camel  to  ride,  on  the  top  of  the  load,  the  skin  is  their 
cushion.  When  they  come  to  water,  an  excavation  is  made  in 
the  sand  to  the  dimensions  of  a  good-sized  wash-bowl :  they  go 
down  and  dip  the  skin  full,  —  gathering  up  the  margin  to  make 
a  bag,  —  and,  setting  it  in  the  sand  dish,  open  it;  and  the 
camel  drinks  the  precious  beverage,  as  does  also  his  master, 
without  wasting  a  drop.  Next,  when  the  camels  are  unladen 
for  the  night,  he  spreads  out  the  skin,  and  presses  it  into  the 
sand  again,  puts  in  meal,  pours  in  water,  and  makes  a  batch  of 
dough.  After  eating  his  frugal  supper,  —  half  coals  and  ashes, 
stuck,  like  Zant  currants  in  a  pudding,  all  over  the  sheet  of  hot 


GEOLOGICAL   STRUCTURE   OF   THE   DESERT.  267 

bread,  —  he  reposes  on  the  skin  for  a  pillow ;  but,  if  he  is  cold 
before  daylight,  it  becomes  a  coverlet. 

From  what  I  have  seen  of  the  geological  structure  of  the 
desert,  it  is  almost  certain  that  water  might  be  procured,  by- 
boring,  anywhere.  There  is  a  broad  sheet  of  limestone  under- 
lying the  sand,  perhaps  several  strata,  with  sheets  of  sand 
between,  which  have  been  shattered  and  broken,  so  that  water, 
by  hydrostatic  pressure,  is  forced  up  through,  to  near  the  surface. 
The  general  impression  seems  to  be  that  all  the  water  that 
oozes  up  in  the  deserts,  either  side  of  the  Nile,  is  Nile  water, 
that  has  percolated,  laterally,  to  all  distances.  This  cannot  be 
the  case;  because,  in  the  Fayoon,  on  the  Libyan  Desert,  the 
water  rises  and  falls,  independently  of  the  altitude  of  the  water 
in  the  channel  of  the  Nile.  My  views  in  respect  to  the 
mechanism  of  the  Nile  will  be  expressed  hereafter. 

At  the  spring  of  Albarouck  there  were  supposed  to  be  two 
hundred  camels  watering,  —  a  slow  process,  in  the  manner 
already  described. 

That  there  must  be  some  force  from  the  weight  of  a  body 
of  water  further  off,  and  at  a  higher  level,  is  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  it  rises  in  this  choked-up  depression,  where  the 
resistance  of  a  column  of  sand,  and  the  atmospheric  pressure 
combined,  is  overcome,  in  rising  to  the  surface. 

Jan.  2d.  Thursday.  —  Tedious  travelling,  rarely  exceeding 
twenty -five  miles  a  day,  —  rising  by  light,  and  breakfasting  by 
a  candle.  There  were  some  pleasant  episodes,  notwithstand- 
ing the'  peculiarity  of  our  position,  at  the  mercy  of  those 
wild  men.  Sometimes  the  sand  was  fine,  then  again  it  was 
coarse ;  and  the  tumuli,  of  all  dimensions,  of  pure  dry  sand, 
—  drifted  into  fantastic  as  well  as  symmetrical  forms,  — 
served  to  keep  the  mind  in  a  state  of  activity.  Our  sheik 
evidently  found  himself  puzzled  to  know  which  way  to  steer, 


% 


268  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

often,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  when  no  camel-tracks  could  be 
discovered.  Immense  curves  were  needlessly  made,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  no  certain  method  of  keeping  on  the  desert- 
line.  Some  of  the  sand-hills  were  very  beautiful  indeed,  they 
were  so  gracefully  moulded,  and  presented  such  waving  out- 
lines, besides  being  heaped  up  to  the  amazing  height  of  several 
hundred  feet,  in  many  places. 

At  the  west  of  our  course,  to-day,  apparently  six  miles  dis- 
tant, there  were  several  enormous  sand-hills  in  view,  that  were 
symmetrically  pyramidal,  and  would  be  taken  to  be  similar 
to  those  of  Geezeh,  did  we  not  know,  for  a  certainty,  that  no 
such  structures  were  ever  raised  here.  One  of  them,  particu- 
larly, was,  to  my  apprehension,  four  hundred  feet  high,  and 
carried  to  a  sharp,  well-defined,  four-sided  apex,  similar  to  the 
pyramid  of  Cephrines,  the  only  remaining  one  in  Egypt  that 
retains  its  original  hard  plaster  covering  at  the  top. 
/  We  passed  a  line  of  date-trees.  Patches  of  them  extended 
some  miles  in  a  ravine,  protected  by  a  mighty  wall,  as  it  were, 
of  sand,  heaped  up  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  feet,  or  more. 
In  some  of  the  clusters  were  the  krals  of  Bedouins ;  —  an  ele- 
mentary house,  made  by  sticking  palm-leaf  stalks  into  the  sand, 
and  constructing  a  frail  yard,  within  which  is  a  chocolate-colored 
goat's-hair  tent-cover,  under  which  the  family  crawl,  for  protec- 
tion and  comfort,  at  night.  Where  these  settlements  are,  there 
we  see  numbers  of  females,  who  are  as  cautious  to  keep  their 
faces  securely  covered  as  the  kadines  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 
Once  only  we  surprised  some  small  boys  and  girls  at  play,  who 
were  as  timid  as  gazelles,  and  fled  for  dear  life  at  the  awful 
appearance  of  howadjis. 

If  the  roots  of  the  palms  did  not  reach  the  sheet  of  water  that 
lies  on  the  limestone  under  the  sand,  they  would  certainly  die. 
On  the  banks  of  the  Nile  I  have  repeatedly  studied  the  pecu- 


LOSS   OF   TIME   IN   THE    DESERT    JOURNEY.  269 

liarity  of  their  structure.  Their  fibrous  roots,  the  size  of  drum- 
cords,  are  not  unfrequently  twenty  feet  in  length,  going  down 
to  the  water-level.  When  a  palm  is  growing  on  an  artificial 
mound,  its  roots  penetrate  down  through  the  whole  mass,  to 
the  common  fountain  of  their  vitality.  All  the  shafts  of  these 
trees  are  shorter  than  in  Egypt,  but  their  diameter  is  about  the 
same.  It  was  up  hill  and  down  to-day,  the  sand  being  thrown 
into  all  the  undulations,  depressions,  ridges,  sharp  points  and 
gentle  swells,  that  distinguish  the  landscape  in  some  of  the  rural 
districts  of  our  own  dear  countr}^,  —  but  bald,  not  a  spear  of 
vegetation  being  on  them.  We  already  discovered  that  much 
precious  time  is  completely  lost,  in  traversing  this  desert,  by 
not  knowing  the  exact  direction.  If  a  line  of  stakes  were 
driven,  —  after  the  manner  of  showing  the  course  of  a  road, 
when  covered  by  snow-drifts,  —  they  would  be  of  priceless 
value.  An  objection  has  been  raised  to  them,  that  they  would 
dam  up  the  sand,  or,  rather,  become  the  nuclei  for  great  accu- 
mulations, by  the  resistance  they  would  offer.  If  the  sand  did 
collect,  so  that  there  was  danger  of  covering  them,  by  pulling 
them  up  a  foot  or  two,  they  would  still  be  in  place.  If  stakes 
were  driven,  by  a  compass,  a  caravan  might  reach  Jerusalem, 
Damascus  and  Aleppo,  in  two-thirds  the  time  now  occupied  in 
puzzling  out  the  way. 

All  the  camels  were  hampered,  cracking  their  supper  of 
beans  and  straw,  the  Arabs  .busily  employed  round  their  scanty 
fires,  baking  bread  and  supper,  when  Buckheat  commenced  a 
narrative  of  his  life,  —  short,  to  be  sure,  for  he  was  but  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  He  was  stolen  from  Darfour,  in  Africa, 
only  last  season,  and  brought  down  the  Nile  to  Cairo,  where 
Hassan,  our  sheik,  bought  him  for  sixty-four  dollars  of  our 
money.  He  is  a  good-natured,  obliging,  quick-witted,  trusty 
fellow,  the  right  hand  of  his  master.  He  further  said  he  had 
23* 


270  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

a  wife  at  Cairo,  having  recently  procured  her.  Hassan  and 
his  slave  were  friends,  eating,  drinking,  sleeping  and  laboring 
together. 

All  the  information  we  gathered  from  these,  or  any  other 
Arabs,  was  through  their  language,  and  not  our  o-wn.  Each 
day  we  gained  a  little ;  and  this  was  the  advantage  of  having 
no  dragoman,  and  being  obliged  to  speak.  There  is  a  natural 
language  of  signs,  which  can  never  be  mistaken,  when  articu- 
late sounds  fail.  By  a  combination  of  these  two,  we  think  we 
perfectly  understood  the  common  suggestions,  the  answers  to 
our  questions,  and  other  generalizations.  We  certainly  held 
animated  conversations,  when  we  had  rights  to  maintain,  which 
were  never  misunderstood.  Praise  and  blame  were  readily 
comprehended,  and  sometimes  both  parties  had  the  force  of 
sentiments  expressed  too  keenly.  Our  usual  custom,  daily, 
was  to  keep  our  arms  in  good  order.  Mr.  Warren  carried  a 
gun  slung  at  his  saddle-pin ;  I  had  a  horse-pistol,  with  a  per- 
cussion lock,  excessively  admired  by  Arabs,  who  have  the  old 
flints  yet,  missing  fire  half  the  time.  But  it  was  never  loaded ; 
and  the  three  balls  —  all  I  ever  had  —  were  carried  in  a  clothes- 
bag.  However,  it  appeared  well;  and  lookers-on,  no  doubt, 
supposed  it  loaded  half  up  to  the  muzzle.  In  my  travelling- 
bag  was  an  India-rubber  bottle,  in  which  I  kept  a  reserved  fund 
of  water,  unbeknown  to  any  one,  to  be  used  in  case  of  emer- 
gency. 

Whenever  we  happened  to  join  a  caravan,  most  of  the  cam- 
els had  little  parcels  of  the  dry  fibrous  parts  of  the  palm-tree, 
that  grow  about  the  base  of  the  leaf-stalks,  —  a  kind  of  net- 
work of  fibres,  which  nature  employs  for  bracing  the  long  stem. 
As  soon  as  we  encamped,  all  the  old  men  immediately  com- 
menced rolling  it  into  twine,  and  finally  into  cordage,  making 
ropes  an  inch  in  diameter,  of  the  very  strongest  kind.     It  was 


SAND-HILLS    IN    THE   DESEKT.  271 

curious  to  watch  the  rapidity  with  which  an  experienced  old 
Arab  would  manufacture  thirty  feet  of  excellent  cordage.  They 
would  twist  three  strands  at  the  same  time ;  invariably  holding 
all  three  at  the  distal  extremity  with  the  great  and  next  toe, 
slipping  it  along  between  the  toes,  as  the  twine  was  twisted 
into  one,  as  though  they  were  the  jaws  of  a  vice.  They  renew 
the  business  and  continue  the  rope  daily,  while  the  young  men 
are  taking  care  of  the  camels  and  baking  bread.  All  their 
binding  ropes,  cords  and  twine,  for  their  own  use,  are  made  on 
these  desert  jaunts;  and  nearly  all  in  Jaffa,  Alexandria,  &c., 
for  ship  use,  is  thus  produced.  One  man  alone,  sitting  flat 
down  on  the  sand,  will  make  more  than  a  good  workman 
among  us  could  produce  in  the  same  time,  in  ordinary  rope- 
walks,  with  the  assistance  and  advantage  of  a  twisting- wheel. 

Jan.  2d.  Friday.  —  Frequent  showers  through  the  day, 
with  cool  nights ;  towards  noon,  warm  and  sunny.  A  range 
of  sand-hills,  running  east  and  west ;  at  the  base,  facing  north, 
was  a  ravine ;  and  within,  a  growth  of  bushes,  with  a  few 
palms,  and  a  little  brackish  water,  that  created  more  thirst  than 
it  quenched.  The  ground  was  uneven ;  we  ascended,  occasion- 
ally, considerable  elevations,  where  there  were  knolls  still 
higher,  with  a  sprinkling  of  low  shrubs,  around  which  the  sand 
collects;  the  plants  stretch  up,  to  keep  from  being  over- 
whelmed, and  more  sand  clusters  round  the  mass,  till  it  is 
sometimes  thus  raised  into  the  form  of  a  haycock,  ten  feet  high. 
The  roots  become  correspondingly  long.  These,  exposed  by 
the  force  of  the  wind,  soon  dry,  and  resemble  large-sized  iron 
wire,  —  constituting  the  principal  fuel  of  the  desert. 

Came  in  view  of  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean,  sparsely 
dressed  in  poor,  barren  bushes.  The  sheik  turned  further 
inland.  Saw  two  very  light-footed  gazelles,  browsing,  —  at 
first  supposed  to  be  deer.     They  trotted  off"  at  a  gentle  speed, 


272  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

with  an  air  of  freedom  which  nothing  else  but  wild  beasts 
enjoy  on  these  sterile  sands.  Soon  after,  saw  a  rabbit ;  poor, 
timid  creature,  he  was  commiserated  for  having  his  lot  cast  on 
this  desolate  ocean  of  moving  sands.  Next,  a  red  fox  capered 
over  the  clean  sand,  as  though  he  felt  his  independence.  Then 
came  a  box-turtle,  four  inches  long.  He  made  no  attempt  at 
escape,  but  simply  drew  in  his  head,  and  shut  up  the  house. 
It  beguiled  away  some  lonely  hours,  —  while  going,  jerk,  jerk, 
between  the  two  saddle-pins,  —  to  study  this  reptile's  general 
structure,  and  speculate  upon  its  history.  Curiosity  would 
sometimes  get  the  better  of  its  judgment;  it  would  gradually 
force  its  head  out,  till  the  eyes  were  far  enough  to  see  what 
society  it  was  in,  when  it  would  be  darted  back  again  in  a 
fright,  as  much  as  to  say.  Who  are  you  ?  Nature  has  been 
forcing  a  few  spires  of  grass  up  through  the  sand,  on  the 
route,  to-day ;  the  thin,  slender  stalks  have  the  appearance  of 
grain,  just  springing  up  after  a  shower.  Occasionally  detected 
a  Bedouin,  at  a  distance,  alone,  stretching  out  into  the  pathless 
desert,  with  no  other  guides  than  the  twinkling  stars  of  the 
firmament.  Tracks  of  various  wild  animals  were  often  seen, 
—  one  being  those  of  the  wild  boar.  Companies  of  animals, 
from  the  freshness  of  their  foot-prints,  appear  to  have  all  been 
going  the  same  way,  peaceably,  the  line  of  tracks  being  paral- 
lel. They  were  supposed  to  have  been  to  a  watering-place,  to 
which  they  go  without  quarrelling.  Bones  of  camels  were 
strewn  everywhere.  Were  the  sands  immovable,  the  route 
might  be  kept  by  following  the  direction  of  their  carcasses,  — 
from  bleached  bones  to  those  that  broke  down  no  longer  ago 
than  yesterday,  under  the  weight  of  burdens  and  hunger  com- 
bined. Some  rapacious  vultures,  of  a  large  size,  with  bloody 
beaks,  were  lounging  near  a  half-destroyed  body,  on  which  they 
had  been  engorging  themselves.    We  overtook  some  wayfarers 


CAMELS.  27S 

who  had  picked  up  a  camel  left  to  die,  two  or  three  days  before. 
They  nursed  and  coaxed  him  into  a  sturdy,  improving  beast. 
Camels  are  badly  treated  in  caravans.  They  are  often  over- 
loaded, which  they  make  known  by  a  disagreeable  cry ;  but 
they  are  beaten  unmercifully,  if  they  hesitate,  or  refuse  to 
move.  Their  saddles  are  never  taken  off,  when  unladen,  but 
kept  on  the  whole  time.  Even  when  browsing,  a  hundred  or 
.  two  together,  the  saddles  are  not  removed.  Fetid  ulcers,  dis- 
charging matter  that  runs  down  their  sides,  rarely  call  for  pity, 
and  never,  to  my  knowledge,  for  medication.  We  once  called 
the  attention  of  the  sheik  to  the  shocking  condition  of  the  back 
of  the  camel  that  carried  the  water-casks ;  but  he  disregarded 
it,  as  of  no  consequence. 

The  male  camels,  at  certain  periods,  become  ferocious,  and 
absolutely  terrific.  When  the  paroxysm  is  coming  on,  they 
puff  out  a  membraneous  bladder,  covered  with  froth,  and  utter 
horrible  noises.  Every  oiie  springs  towards  them,  with  cudgels, 
instantly,  and  within  a  few  minutes  they  become  manageable 
again.  One  of  our  six  was  of  this  character ;  and,  becoming 
formidable,  he  was  one  day  thrown  and  held  down,  till  the 
sheik  plucked  long  hairs  enough,  from  the  end  of  his  tail,  to 
make  a  yard  of  twine,  strongly  twisted.  He  then  bored  the 
septum  of  the  nostrils,  and  run  it  through.  To  that  he  tied  a 
cord ;  and,  ever  after,  when  he  began  to  play  off  his  constitu- 
tional pranks,  a  slight  twitch  on  the  hair-twine  would  bring 
him  instantly  under  subjection.  A  mad  camel  —  one  conscious 
that  his  driver  stands  in  fear  of  him  —  soon  becomes  danger- 
ous ;  and  great  severity  is  resorted  to,  before  he  is  subdued. 

Jan.  4M.  Saturday.  —  Nothing  remarkable.  Passed  sev- 
eral droves  of  brood  camels.  They  are  raised,  in  this  horribly 
lonesome  place,  under  the  care  of  Bedouins,  who  keep  them. 
Cut  bushes  when  we  pitch  the  tent,  and  spread  the  mattress 


274  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

upon  them,  to  have  a  little  soft  repose,  —  the  sand  proving  too 
hard  and  damp,  for  it  has  rained.  Skeletons  of  camels,  in  any 
quantity.  Saw  a  large  pelican,  —  no  way  alarmed,  —  a  few 
strange  birds,  one  gazelle,  and  some  rabbits.  Ascertained  that 
nine  languages  are  spoken  by  five  persons  who  have  fallen  into 
our  company.     I  am  quite  unwell. 

El  Arish,  Jan.  bth.  Sunday.  —  Arrived  here  late  this  morn- 
ing. It  is  a  miserable  sand-hill,  without  a  green  thing,  two 
miles  from  the  sea,  —  the  last  border-town  of  Egypt.  One 
mile  and  a  half  would  take  us  into  Palestine.  A  pasha,  or 
governor,  resides  here,  in  one  corner  of  an  old  fort,  which  is  in 
a  ruinous  state,  without  a  gun.  Straggling  half  mud  and  half 
stone  hovels  are  plenty  outside.  Hassan,  our  sheik,  resided 
here ;  two  of  his  boys  came  to  our  tent.  Some  informality 
was  represented  to  have  been  discovered  in  our  papers.  A 
few  cavalry  soldiers  were  prancing  about  in  the  sand,  —  the 
instruments  of  Ibrahim  Aga,  the  governor.  This  El  Areesh — 
usually  written  El  Arish  —  was  the  ancient  Rinocolura,  a 
place  of  exile,  to  which  the  ancient  kings  of  Egypt  sent  certain 
offenders,  after  maiming  them  by  cutting  off  their  noses.  Gran- 
ite columns,  bits  of  marble,  portions  of  cornices,  &c.,  clearly 
show  this  has  once  been  a  place  of  renown.  One  of  the  cru- 
sading kings  died  in  the  fort,  but  his  name  is  not  recollected. 
A  few  rods  in  front  of  our  tent  was  a  handsome  sand-hill,  some 
few  square  rods  of  it  being  enclosed  by  a  rope  on  stakes,  within 
which  were  three  tents.  It  was  the  quarantine  station,  into 
which  every  person  coming  from  Syria  must  enter,  and  remain 
five  days,  —  sick  or  well,  —  provide  for  himself  and  camels, 
and  pay  a  dear  price  for  rent  of  the  ground,  and  afterwards 
pass  on.  Health  is  no  way  considered ;  it  is  a  scheme  for 
raising  a  revenue  out  of  travellers.  An  Italian  renegado,  who 
palms  himself  off  as  a  physician,  but  who  knows  nothing  what- 


VEXATIOUS   DETENTION.  275 

ever  of  medicine,  as  he  confessed  to  me,  has  charge  of  it,  under 
Ibrahim  Aga.  They  play  into  each  other's  pockets  most  profit- 
ably. 

Jan.  6th.  —  Not  allowed  to  proceed  ;  we  therefore  requested 
leave  to  return  instantly.  I  was  seated  in  our  half-open  tent, 
writing,  the  Mediterranean  in  sight,  and  wild  men  of  the  des- 
ert and  official  rascals  lounging  about  in  their  turbans,  when 
this  was  written.  Had  a  long  and  tedious  interview  with  the 
black-hearted  old  villain,  Ibrahim  Aga,  who  was  seated  cross- 
legged  on  a  kind  of  tailor's  bench,  puffing  a  long  chebouck. 
Not  a  word  was  said  oftener  than  once  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
upon  the  average.  We  discovered  that  it  was  contemplated  to 
rob  us  by  a  measure  that  might  have  all  the  appearance  of  a 
legal  act.  In  short,  every  one  of  the  governor's  minions  hoped 
for  a  dip  into  our  pockets.  The  Italian  assured  us,  over  and 
over,  that  our  papers  were  right;  but  the  governor's  son,  Hasen 
Aga,  —  an  evil  spirit  on  earth,  —  was  at  the  bottom  of  the 
scheme,  and,  therefore,  there  was  no  reasonable  expectation  of 
advancing,  for  we  were  determined  not  to  be  obliged  to  bribe 
any  of  them.  We  had  just  about  money  enough  to  pay  for 
the  camels,  on  arriving  at  Ramlah ;  but,  if  it  was  diverted  to 
these  cut-throats,  there  would  be  a  difficulty  Avith  our  sheik,  at 
the  end  of  the  journey,  as  no  money  could  be  procured  with 
our  letters  of  credit  till  we  arrived  at  Jerusalem.  Gausep 
Andreg,  the  counterfeit  doctor,  was  the  tool  in  their  hands,  and 
was  the  principal  medium  of  communication  between  us.  If 
the  word  rascal  were  written,  where  it  should  be,  on  his  fore- 
head, his  face  would  express  the  true  character  of  his  heart. 
Frequent  intimations  were  given  that  we  might  go  on  by  pay- 
ing a  certain  sum.  We  entered  a  formal  protest  to  the  gov- 
ernor, and  threatened  to  complain  to  Abbas  Pasha  of  his  con- 
duct, if  he  detained  us  another  hour;    as,  if  there  was  any 


276  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

further  detention,  our  provisions  would  fail,  and  then  we  must 
be  fed.  This  evidently  alarmed  his  hateful  excellency.  As 
we  were  in  no  condition  to  bribe,  we  simply  asked  to  return 
forthwith,  which  could  not  be  done  till  he  gave  the  sheik  leave 
to  go  with  us,  because  we  could  not  return  alone.  We  sympa- 
thized with  the  Jew  indigo-merchants  who  were  placed  in  the 
same  dilemma,  and  who  were  treated  with  the  utmost  con- 
tempt. 

Jan.  1th.  —  We  were  suffering  intensely  from  anxiety,  as 
the  season  for  travelling,  before  the  annual  rains  set  in,  was 
approaching,  and  every  hour  was  of  consequence.  King  Bald- 
win died  in  this  wretched  fortress.  We  again  went  into  the 
awful  presence  of  the  perpetually-smoking  pasha.  Two  young 
children  of  his  —  a  boy  and  girl,  by  his  fortieth  wife,  perhaps 
—  were  brought  to  the  footstool  of  his  sandy  throne.  The 
little  girl  had  silver  anklets,  strung  round  with  silver  bells, 
which  made  a  fine  tinkling  noise  whenever  agitated.  One  of 
the  Jews  said  that  permission  had  been  granted  him  to  leave, 
by  paying  fifteen  dollars.  Without  a  written  permission,  it 
would  be  a  pretext  for  bringing  us  back,  and  fining  or  impris- 
oning us,  without  mercy ;  or  the  old  cheat  might  send  men 
to  rob  us.  We  saw  and  heard  enough  to  know  that  our  safety 
consisted  in  returning  by  varying  the  route.  We  arrived  here 
on  the  morning  of  the  fifth ;  and  past  noon,  on  the  seventh, 
Hassan  finally  got  a  paper  permitting  us  to  return.  Thvis  we 
were  detained  two  days,  for  no  purpose  but  a  hope  that  we 
should  hand  over  a  good  sum  of  money ;  but,  that  not  coming, 
and  the  threat  to  complain  of  all  of  them,  for  detention  without 
cause,  being  more  than  expected,  the  governor,  we  imagined, 
would  have  been  glad  to  have  us  proceed.  But  we  dared  not 
risk  his  infernal  scheming ;  and  therefore  hastened  back  from 
whence  we  came.     The  Italian  came  to  me  for  medicine,  and 


CONTIITOED   ATTEMPTS   AT   ANNOYANCE.  '277 

proposed  that  I  should  go  with  him  to  see  a  sick  person,  in  the 
tahooed  enclosure.  This  was  unquestionably  a  part  of  a  plot. 
Had  a  foot  been  set  over  the  line,  a  new  aspect  would  instantly 
have  been  given  to  our  affairs ;  for  I  should  have  been  made  a 
prisoner,  and  perhaps  heavily  fined.  All  the  plans  for  raising 
money  out  of  us  failed.  We  joined  company  with  a  caravan 
bound  to  Cairo  with  soap,  with  about  thirty  Arab  owners  and 
drivers.  An  Arab,  on  horseback,  wearing  a  long  sword,  over- 
took us,  a  mile  or  so  from  El  Arish.  He  was  recognized  as 
the  same  fellow  who  had  been  hanging  about  the  tent,  demand- 
ing backshiesh,  because  we  had  travelled  over  some  part  of  his 
territory,  in  the  desert.  For  several  hours  he  followed  on, 
occasionally  riding  up  to  the  side  of  my  camel,  to  know  if  I 
intended  to  pay  him  or  not.  Being  out  of  all  patience,  my 
empty  pistol  was  held  out,  with  an  intimation  that  he  would  be 
paid,  with  a  vengeance,  if  he  troubled  us  any  further;  upon 
which  he  quickly  disappeared,  for  the  last  time.  Being  with 
a  caravan  serves  to  strengthen  one's  courage ;  for  the  Be- 
douins are  like  wolves,  —  never  attacking  without  being  the 
strongest  party.  Very  soon  a  cavalry  soldier  of  the  station 
came  up  with  us ;  he  was  the  bearer  of  despatches  from  the 
governor  to  Cairo,  relating,  it  was  rumored,  particularly  to  our- 
selves. The  object  was  to  contradict  any  statement  we  might 
be  induced  to  make  touching  his  master's  official  conduct. 
When  the  tent  was  pitched  for  the  night,  and  our  miserable 
dinner  prepared,  he  had  the  impudence  to  attempt  quartering 
himself  on  us,  as  he  was  a  public  messenger.  He  was  driven 
out,  with  indignation,  to  the  universal  joy  of  the  company. 

One  afternoon,  while  with  this  great  company  of  Arabs,  after 
the  camp  was  arranged,  and  the  rope-making  had  been  com- 
menced, I  shaved  myself.     Some  of  them  happened  to  get  a 
sight  of  my  razor,  and  the  word  passed  round  that  I  was  a 
24 


278  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

hakem ;  and,  consequently,  they  all  wanted  their  heads  shaved. 
On  my  refusing,  they  said,  Why  not?  you  are  a  doctor.  They 
associated  the  business  of  a  barber  with  that  of  medicine. 
They  then  wanted  the  razor ;  and  the  denial  rather  discom- 
posed some  of  the  young  men,  who  had  not  had  their  pates 
shorn  for  ten  days,  and  were  very  anxious  for  it.  They  then 
commenced  shaving  each  others'  heads  with  a  short,  stump 
razor,  two  inches  long,  with  a  wooden  handle.  They  had 
plenty  of  soap,  it  being  on  freight ;  but  they  never  lather  at  all. 
The  operation,  which  has  been  previously  described,  was  per- 
formed with  surprising  quickness.  By  means  of  it  they  get 
clear  of  lice,  which  forage  all  over  their  bodies ;  but  they  can 
get  at  them  anjavhere  easier  than  on  their  own  heads.  Ver- 
min abound  on  camels,  and  thus  creep  to  their  riders,  and  there 
is  no  escape  from  them. 

In  good  time,  without  accident,  we  arrived  again  in  the  city 
of  Cairo.  A  note  was  addressed  to  the  American  consul-gen- 
eral, in  regard  to  our  loss  of  time,  fatigue,  and  the  expense  we 
had  been  at,  through  the  ignorance  of  the  Syrian  who  officiated 
for  the  vice-consul ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  a  complaint  was 
made  against  the  governor,  for  detention  and  rude  treatment, 
in  not  letting  us  instantly  turn  back,  when  he  informed  us  our 
papers  were  not  legally  prepared.  We  had  been  taxed  one 
dollar  for  a  certificate  saying  we  were  citizens  of  America,  on 
our  arrival  at  Alexandria,  which  was  of  no  use  whatever,  never 
having  been  shown  till  taken  out  at  El  Arish,  and  then  it  was 
frowned  upon.  The  consul  addressed  a  note  to  his  vice-con- 
sul, who  can  neither  read,  write  nor  speak  English,  for  a  report 
of  the  manner  in  which  our  papers  were  prepared.  He  got  word 
of  our  arrival,  and,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  we  were  in 
bed,  called  us  up,  and  pleaded  for  mercy,  saying,  if  we  pressed 
the  matter,  it  would  ruin  him.     He  acknowledged  his  boy  had 


AMERICAN    CONSULS   IN    EGYPT,  279 

done  wrong ;  and  one  paper  in  particular,  which  he  furnished, 
and  insisted  upon  receiving  pay  for, — namely,  a  permit  to  carry 
arms,  but  which  we  refused  to  purchase,  —  was  a  gross  attempt 
at  swindling.  We  remained  several  days,  hoping  for  the  report, 
to  defend  ourselves  against  any  false  statement,  almost  certain 
to  come  from  a  Levantine,  as  the  consul  happened  to  be  in 
Cairo.  We  could  remain  no  longer ;  satisfied  that  his  safety 
depended  on  delay,  the  vice-consul  maintained  silence  ;  but,  on 
arriving  at  Alexandria, — the  consul  having,  in  the  mean  while, 
arrived,  —  the  vice-consul's  report  reached  us.  It  was  made 
perfectly  plain  that  the  Syrian  did  exactly  right,  and  that  we 
were  detained  through  our  own  obstinacy.  The  whole  was  a 
contemptible  falsehood,  —  a  lie,  from  beginning  to  end ;  and 
the  representative  of  the  United  States  treated  us  with  a  cold- 
ness and  cavalier  reserve  that  indicated  a  determination  to  sus- 
tain his  tool  at  Cairo,  let  who  would  be  injured,  incommoded, 
insulted,  or  wronged,  by  those  whose  first  duty  it  was  to  aid, 
assist  and  protect  them.  If  our  government  knew  how  the 
United  States  were  represented,  and  how  the  citizens  were 
preyed  upon  by  unprincipled  men,  while  travelling  in  distant 
countries,  a  revolution  would  soon  be  brought  about  in  the 
consular  department.  Because  we  remonstrated  against  the 
unrighteous  report  of  the  supple,  deceitful  knave  at  Cairo,  we 
have  been  hearing  unfavorable  remarks  ever  since,  used  to 
prejudice  other  travellers,  who  might  at  any  time  fall  in  our 
way ;  while  they  also  serve  as  an  argument  to  persuade  new 
comers  to  pay  for  Avhat  may  not  be  needed.  The  money 
extorted  in  this  way  amounts  to  a  comfortable  sum,  in  addition 
to  the  official's  salary  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 


280  A   PILQEIMAQE   TO   EGYPT. 

THE   NILE. 

This  mysterious  river  bears  a  very  strong  resemblance  to 
the  Mississippi,  It  is  equally  rapid  and  turbid,  in  consequence 
of  holding  an  immense  amount  of  unctuous  mud  in  solu- 
tion. Although  there  are  a  few  short  curves,  most  of  them 
are  graceful  sweeps,  allowing  an  extended  field  of  vision,  up 
and  down  the  stream,  for  a  considerable  distance.  In  the 
course  of  some  thousands  of  years,  it  has  repeatedly  shifted  its 
bed ;  and  is  perpetually  wearing  into  the  land,  one  side  or  the 
other,  although  the  process  is  slower  than  in  the  great  rivers 
of  the  United  States,  From  the  foot  of  the  first  cataract  to  the 
Mediterranean, — not  far  from  eight  hundred  miles,  —  it  falls 
three  hundred  feet,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  five  inches  to  the 
mile.  Where  the  fall  is  but  three  inches  to  the  mile,  it  is  a 
swift  stream  to  row  against ;  but  at  five  inches,  a  strong  wind 
is  required,  to  stem  the  current.  All  the  Nile  boats  are  con- 
structed to  draw  a  light  draft,  with  one  enormously  large  trian- 
gular sail,  rigged  to  the  top  of  a  short,  stout  mast,  near  the 
bow.  Some  have  two  sails.  No  one  knows  where  the  water 
comes  from,  its  origin  having  never  been  explored,  notwith- 
standing the  confident  manner  in  which  it  is  asserted  that  the 
Nile  takes  its  rise  in  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon,  Those 
mountains  are  very  probably  in  the  locality  assigned  to  them, 
—  the  moon,  —  since  no  traveller  on  earth  has  seen  them  in  a 
satisfactory  way  to  determine  a  question  so  long  mooted.  It 
is  a  solitary  river,  without  a  single  tributary  stream,  of 
any  kind  whatever,  at  a  high  point  in  Africa.  It  continues 
its  course  to  the  distance  of  not  more  than  a  dozen  miles 
below  Cairo,  when  it  bifurcates  into  two  branches,  the  Rosetta 
and  Damietta,  emptying  into  the  sea.  All  Egypt  may  be  said 
to  depend  on  the  Nile  for  water,  for  all  purposes.     There  are 


THE    NILK.  281 

brackish  springs  on  some  parts  of  the  deserts,  where  water,  in 
small  quantities,  may  be  procured  ;  but  the  general  impression 
is  that  it  all  comes  from  the  Nile,  and,  in  a  depression  of  the 
Libyan  desert,  is  supplied  from  the  same  source.  All  animal 
and  vegetable  life  is  dependent  on  the  Nile,  therefore,  through- 
out this  singularly-maiked  country.  It  annually  overflows  its 
banks,  and  floods  the  country,  back  to  the  natural  barriers  that 
restrain  its  waters  to  positive  limits,  leaving,  on  its  subsidence, 
a  vast  amount  of  slimy  mud,  on  which  the  fertility  of  the  land 
entirely  depends.  Professor  Ehrenberg,  of  the  University  of 
Berlin,  who  is  soon  expecting  to  publish  a  work  on  the  subject, 
informed  me  that  he  had  discovered  that  the  deposit  was  not 
mud,  —  the  common  idea,  —  but  actually,  the  largest  part  of  it, 
infusorial  insects ;  in  a  word,  the  land-dressing  is  animal  mat- 
ter. This  gives  a  new  interest  to  investigations  in  regard  to 
the  general  functions  of  the  river,  and  the  origin  of  such  an 
amount  of  minute  animal  organizations.  Thousands  of  people, 
of  both  sexes,  are  incessantly  employed  in  raising  water,  for 
domestic  purposes,  and  for  irrigating  the  land. 

From  the  terminus,  to  unknown  regions  from  whence  it  flows, 
there  is  one  single  stream,  lying  nearly  in  the  centre  of  a  rich 
alluvial  meadow,  —  averaging  eight  miles,  apparently,  in  width, 
—  bounded  by  two  parallel  mountain-ridges,  extending  nearly 
north  and  south,  from  the  lower  part  of  Egypt,  towards  the  sea, 
to  the  interior  of  Africa.  Behind  these  elevations,  are  two  vast 
deserts  of  fine,  dry  sand,  —  the  eastern  being  the  Arabian,  and 
the  western  the  Libyan.  On  approaching  the  first  cataract, 
the  arable  land  becomes  much  narrower,  being  wholly  on  one 
side  for  a  considerable  distance,  and  then  upon  the  other. 
From  the  fact  of  the  uncertain  and  irregular  encroachments 
of  the  river  upon  its  banks,  the  land  is  unstable,  having 
all  been  deposited  by  the  river,  and  being  constantly  removed 
21* 


282  A    PILGKIMAGK   TO   EGYPT. 

by  it  from  one  position,  to  be  transported  elsewhere.  There 
is  rarely  any  rain,  in  Upper  Egypt,  of  sufficient  duration  to 
exert  much  influence  on  the  Nile.  As  low  down  as  Alexan- 
dria, there  is  a  season  for  showers,  and  occasional  heavy 
rains;  but  they  make  no  perceptible  addition  to  the  volume  of 
the  water.  There  is  no  way  for  the  water  to  escape  from 
its  bed,  otherwise  than  by  evaporation,  because  its  level  is 
below  the  natural  walls,  which  were  intended,  by  the  omnip- 
otent contriver  of  this  extraordinary  hydraulic  apparatus,  to 
restrain  the  floods  to  prescribed  limits,  at  the  periodical  rise. 
These  natural  walls  are  regular  horizontal  layers  of  limestone, 
appearing,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  rods,  to  be  Cyclopsean 
masonry.  The  regularity  of  the  strata  shows  they  were  formed 
at  the  bottom  of  a  primitive  ocean,  in  a  perfect  state  of  repose. 
Afterwards,  they  were  gradually  raised  to  their  present  position, 
no  subterranean  force  having  tilted  them  from  their  original 
place.  In  the  bends  and  angles  formed  by  the  uninterrupted 
beating  of  the  waters  are  spots  for  agricultural  purposes.  On 
these  narrow  strips  of  land  were  the  earliest  seats  of  civilization. 
After  a  patient  exploration  of  this  mysterious  river,  —  observ- 
ing its  width,  depth,  and  momentum,  above  Syene,  with  its 
velocity,  volume,  and  other  physical  circumstances,  three  hun- 
dred miles  below,  independent  of  the  magnitude  and  power 
above  the  bifurcation  into  the  Damietta  and  Rosetta  branches, 
—  I  am  convinced  that  the  water  of  the  lower  Nile  does  not  all 
flow  in  the  narrow,  shallow  bed  of  the  Upper  Nile,  nor  come 
over  the  first  cataract.  By  the  annual  rise  and  fall,  the  quality 
of  the  land  is  improved,  as  there  is  a  re-deposit  of  the  material 
sustenance  of  plants.  By  this  annual  flood,  the  whole  valley 
of  the  Nile  has  been  gradually  rising,  by  deposits  spread  uni- 
formly over  the  surface.  This  explains  the  appearance  of  pot- 
tery, brick,  stone,  and  other  remains  of  ancient  art,  protruding 


SOUKCE   OF    TUB    WATEES    OF    TUE   NlUi.  283 

through  the  banks,  many  feet  below  the  common  land-level. 
By  the  never-ceasing  activity  of  this  river,  the  sites  of  ancient 
towns  have  been  swept  away,  and  foundations  laid  for  new 
ones,  in  every  age  of  the  world's  history ;  and,  through  the 
agency  of  it,  the  remains  of  primitive  art,  in  all  departments  of 
life,  are,  probably,  strewn  extensively  over  the  territories  of  the 
successors  of  the  Pharaohs,  where  they  are  hermetically  sealed 
up  from  vulgar  inspection,  to  be  brought  up,  in  some  future 
period,  to  illustrate,  more  fully  than  it  has  yet  been  done,  the 
genius,  mechanical  ingenuity,  and  taste  of  the  first  races  who 
figured  on  the  oldest  and  most  curious  of  all  inhabited  countries 
on  the  globe.  The  old  beds  of  the  river,  and  the  revelations  in' 
reserve,  —  which  the  sand  has  been  securing  for  after  ages,  — 
will  constitute  a  grand  and  startling  episode  in  the  world's 
history,  for  the  study  and  contemplation  of  coming  generations. 
Where  does  the  water  come  from,  in  the  Nile,  if  it  does  not 
follow  the  common  open  channel  ?  It  is  my  opinion  that  the 
tributaries  of  the  Nile,  like  the  subterranean  rivers  of  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee,  course  through  channels  under  the  limestone 
bed  on  which  the  sands  of  the  deserts  rest.  Possibly  they  have 
drilled  passages  through  the  soft  magnesian  limestone,  draining 
enormous  sections  of  country,  where  the  annual  quantity  of 
rain,  distributed  at  specific  intervals  of  time,  could  not  all  be 
evaporated ;  but,  percolating  through  the  arid  covering  of  the 
seamed  and  fractured  stratum  of  rocks  below,  finds  its  way 
through  the  underground  crevices,  and  gradually  collects  into 
rivulets,  which  creep  out  from  under  the  margin  of  the  Arabian 
and  Libyan  deserts,  and  thus  unite  with  the  Nile,  one  of  the 
gigantic  common  sewers  of  the  African  continent.  In  the 
Fyoom  and  the  Oases,  on  the  Libyan  side,  there  are  springs, 
and  an  occasional  rise  of  the  water,  wholly  independent  of  any 
probable    connection  with  (he    river.     When    it  is   low  Nile, 


284  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGVPT. 

without  any  assignable  cause  understood  by  the  inhabitants, 
the  water  suddenly  increases  above  its  ordinary  level ;  and,  as 
frequently  as  otherwise,  it  falls  below  the  height  of  the  water 
at  high  Nile,  —  showing  that  there  can  be  no  possible  connec- 
tion. Then,  again,  in  the  little  Oasis,  are  the  warm  springs 
of  Bowitti  and  El  Kasr,  having  a  temperature  of  ninety-three 
and  a  half  degrees  Fahrenheit ;  but  no  philosopher  in  his  senses 
would  pretend  that  hot  water  comes  from  the  Nile !  It  strikes 
me  that  these  phenomena,  in  regard  to  the  water  rising  in 
the  desert,  are  to  be  explained  thus  :  When  heavy  rains  have 
occurred,  remote  from  the  Abyssinian  Nile,  the  surplus  water 
is  carried  off  by  the  concealed  channels  spread  out  variously 
under  the  limestone,  coursing  over  an  argillaceous  bed,  wend- 
ing its  way,  finally,  into  the  Lower  Nile,  at  numerous  points, 
while  some  of  the  conduits  have  their  mouths  opening  into  the 
Mediterranean.  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  the  water  flows 
on  quietly;  but  in  case  of  the  sudden  fall  of  rains,  the  waters 
are  not  liberated,  at  the  distal  extremities  of  the  tubes,  fast 
enough  to  prevent  a  prodigious  pressure  of  the  column  above, 
which  forc6s  it  out  at  the  leakages,  —  sections  of  country  where 
the  weight  of  earth  has  been  removed ;  or,  in  other  words,  the 
pipes  are  thinner,  and  therefore  offer  less  resistance.  It  is  there 
the  rise  takes  place;  but,  when  the  rains  subside,  —  the  press- 
ure being  removed,  —  the  extra  accumulation,  a  miniature 
flood,  gradually  drains  ofi',  and  finds  an  exit  further  onward. 

One  has  only  to  see  the  places  in  the  Arabian  Desert  which  are 
denominated  watering-stations, — many  of  which  are  believed  to 
be  considerably  higher  than  the  Nile,  —  to  be  convinced  that  the 
water  in  them  is  from  another  source.  Its  very  brackish  char- 
acter indicates,  too,  another  origin;  for,  when  the  soil,  or  sand, 
is  thoroughly  mixed  with  pure  Nile  water,  no  such  property  is 
imparted  to  it ;  and  hence  the  conclusion  is,  that  the  salts  in 


FEMALE   WATER-CARRIERS. 


285 


solution,  giving  the  desert  water  its  unpalatable  properties,  are 
imparted  to  it  in  a  distant  and  more  southern  region. 

With  these  views  of  the  geological  structure  of  the  country, 
the  expectation  is  entertained  that  the  period  will  arrive,  in  the 
progress  of  events,  when  many  of  those  unsuspected  aqueducts 
that  ramify  under  the  mighty  oceans  of  shifting  sands  will  be 
penetrated  with  augers,  and  fountains  of  sparkling  water  will 
gush  up  to  the  surface,  to  fertilize  and  prepare  those  frightful 
wastes  for  the  residence  of  another  and  superior  race  of  men  to 


ORNAMENTED   BLACK  VEILS. 


the  nomads  who  are  now  roaming  over  them,  poised  upon  the 
hump  of  the  patient  camel,  guided  in  their  endless  wanderings 
alone  by  the  twinkling  stars. 

One  of  the  first  novelties,  on  sailing  up  the  Nile,  is  the  raul- 


2S6  A    riLGRIilAGE   TO    EGiPT. 

titudes  of  females  transporting  water,  on  their  heads,  in  large, 
heavy  earthen  jars,  from  morning  till  night,  to  the  huts  and 
villages.  They  are  generally  slender,  muscular,  finely  formed, 
and  remarkably  straight  in  their  figures.  Spinal  diseases  are 
unknown  to  them ;  nor  have  they  to  contend  with  any  of  those 
peculiar  diseases  that  undermine  the  constitutions  of  young 
women  in  our  own  country.  They  are  usually  barefooted,  and 
wear  but  a  single  garment,  —  a  coarse  blue  cotton  frock,  with 
bag  sleeves,  split  down  pretty  low  in  front,  open,  exposing  the 
chest ;  but  they  are  extremely  cautious  to  conceal  their  faces 
with  a  rag  of  a  shawl,  a  piece  of  cotton,  —  a  remnant,  perhaps, 
of  their  dress,  —  or  with  a  regularly  fashioned  veil  of  the  coun- 
try, suspended  from  the  forehead  by  a  brass  contrivance  of  short 
ferrules,  or  a  simple  cord. 

Asses,  in  the  cities,  are  uninterruptedly  carrying  water,  in 
the  skins  of  animals,  taken  off  whole ;  and  camels,  laden  with 
capacious  leather  bags,  and  men,  weighed  down  by  skins  slung 
over  their  shoulders,  pursue  water-carrying  as  a  distinct  em- 
ployment. 

It  is  a  subject  of  surprise  that  no  easier  method  for  raising 
water  from  the  river  has  been  invented  than  the  abominably 
uncouth  wheel,  —  usually  turned  by  an  ox,  —  having  a  rope 
running  over,  on  which  earthen  pots,  with  wide,  open  mouths, 
are  strung,  which  come  up,  on  one  side,  full,  pour  out  their 
contents  into  a  trough,  in  passing  over  the  periphery,  and  pass 
down,  on  the  opposite  side,  empty.  A  simple  pump  is  rarely 
seen  in  Egypt ;  and  yet,  for  all  purposes,  it  would  be  immensely 
superior,  more  economical,  and  far  less  laborious,  than  the 
shadoof  (well-pole),  or  sakkia,  or  the  ox-wheel. 

In  order  to  give  the  fields  two  or  three  miles  from  the  river 
the  advantages  of  irrigation,  —  without  which  nothing  would 
grow,  —  deep  canals  are  cut,  miles  in  length,  terminating,  in 


LAND-TEN URJi    IN    EOVl'T. 


289 


some  places,  in  artificial  basins  of  many  acres,  surrounded  by 
a  strong  mud  embankment,  for  retaining  the  water.  When  the 
periodical  rains  in  Abyssinia  set  in,  and  the  river  rises,  over- 
flowing its  banks,  the  sluices  are  opened,  and  the  canals  and 
reservoirs  are  filled  and  secured  for  future  use.  This  scheme 
has  been  practised  since  the  land  was  Bfstiii'Rabited.  Without 
this  annual  supply,  all  cultivation  would  cease,  and  a  famine 
assuredly  follow. 


DEINKING-WATER  CARBIEK. 


LAND-TENURE  AND  AGRICULTURE. 

The  land  in  Egypt  is  wholly  and  exclusively  the  property  of 
the  pasha  :  he  takes  and  gives  according  to  his  individual  pleas- 
ure, and  there  is  no  redress  whatever.  When  Mohammed  Ali 
became  the  master  of  Egypt,  he  took  the  whole  into  his  own 
private  keeping;  but  made  a  faint  show  of  justice,  by  giving  a 
25 


290  A    riLGRIJIAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

pension,  for  life,  to  the  proprietors  of  certain  parcels.  Both 
himself  and  the  present  viceroy,  his  grandson,  have  made  an 
occasional  present  of  tracts  of  land,  with  villages  attached,  to 
their  favorites,  which  will  always  remain  the  property  of  the 
person  to  whom  it  was  given,  and  his  successors,  unless  the 
succeeding  ruler  should  fancy  it  for  himself,  or  choose  to  confer 
it  on  another.  Under  such  circumstances,  there  can  be  no 
legal  redress,  because  the  viceroy's  will  is  the  law,  nor  is  he 
accountable  to  his  subjects  for  any  act.  His  agents  and  sub- 
agents,  in  the  various  districts,  portion  out  the  land  among  the 
fellahs,  or  farmers,  according  to  their  ability  to  pay  the  rent, 
which  averages  two  dollars  a  feddan  —  a  trifle  less  than  an  acre 
—  per  annum.  Then  there  are  direct  taxes  on  the  land,  vary- 
ing according  to  the  caprice  of  the  government,  aggravated 
and  made  more  oppressive  by  the  higher  officers  of  the  pacha- 
lic,  who  so  make  their  assessments  as  to  provide  for  them- 
selves at  the  time  they  are  collecting  for  their  master  at  Cairo. 
If  the  farmer  has  no  seed,  nor  money  to  purchase  it,  the 
government  advances  it,  takes  half  the  crop,  requires  interest 
on  the  unrighteous  price  charged  for  it,  and  forbids  the  sale 
of  what  remains  to  the  cultivator  to  any  one  but  the  govern- 
ment, at  its  own  price.  The  farmers  of  a  village  belong  to  the 
neighboring  lands;  nor  are  they  permitted  to  go  and  come 
freely,  or  remove  to  another  town.  Where  they  happen  to  be, 
there  they  are  compelled  to  remain.  Boatmen,  travelling 
merchants,  and  some  kinds  of  mechanics,  are  an  exception. 
Their  lives  are  lives  of  hardship,  insecurity  and  oppression. 
Some  of  them  wander  off,  and,  not  unfrequently,  seek  employ- 
ment in  the  cities ;  but,  if  laborers  are  scarce,  or  not  propor- 
tioned to  the  ground,  in  the  region  from  whence  they  absconded, 
they  are  conveyed  back,  pinioned,  and,  besides,  are  not  per- 
mitted to  escape  a  cruel  heating. 


AGRICULTURE.  291 

By  the  shifting  of  the  lands  nearest  to  the  river,  the  govern- 
ment, which  owns  the  whole,  loses  nothing  in  territory ;  where- 
as, were  the  fields  private  property,  and  bought  and  sold,  as  in 
the  United  States,  the  owner  of  this  year  might  not  have  a  yard 
square  the  next;  while  his  opposite  neighbor,  irrigating  a  mere 
strip,  like  a  ribbon,  might  wake  up,  on  the  subsidence  of  the 
flood,  and  find  himself  the  possessor  of  many  broad  acres,  where 
there  were  none  before.  This  characteristic  restlessness  of  old 
Nilus  has  been  painfully  destructive  to  settlements  on  its  banks. 
All  the  lands  fit  for  cultivation,  in  Lower  Eg}pt,  are  continually 
yielding  crops,  except  at  high  water.  A  field  is  no  sooner 
harvested,  than  it  is  again  sown.  The  ploughing,  which  is 
light,  and  by  a  plough  of  the  rudest  form,  has  been  previously 
described.  No  hoeing  is  required.  Successful  farming  con- 
sists in  unceasing  irrigation ;  and,  for  that  purpose,  both  sides 
of  the  river  are  lined  with  shadoofs  and  salikias.  The  water 
is  conducted  by  mud  spouts,  or  trenches,  to  each  fibre  of  the 
growing  produce.  The  hea-vy  hoe,  before  alluded  to,  is  the 
principal  agricultural  tool  within  the  reach  of  the  fanner.  A 
shovel  was  not  seen  beyond  the  public  works.  Instead  of 
being  dry  and  mellow,  the  field  is  such  that  the  laborer  stands 
in  a  soft,  slimy  mud,  up  to  his  ankles.  Indian  com  and  millet 
are  universally  raised,  sown  in  rows,  thick  as  the  stalks  can 
stand.  Castor-beans,  tares  and  sugar-cane,  —  planted  in  tlie 
same  manner,  —  are  the  prominent  crops  in  Upper  Egypt. 
"Wheat,  barley,  and  some  other  grains,  are  also  extensively  cul- 
tivated. It  is  almost  certain  that  the  system  of  cultivation  is 
precisely  what  it  was  some  thousands  of  years  ago,  in  the 
whole  valley.  They  raised  cotton  then,  as  at  present;  the 
evidence  is  beyond  all  contradiction,  in  the  millions  of  yards 
of  cotton  cloth  consumed  in  mummefying  the  dead ;  and  the 
agricultural  instruments  have  not  been  materially  changed.    In 


292  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

one  of  the  royal  tombs  of  Thebes,  extending  into  the  solid  rock 
four  hundred  and  five  feet,  in  which  was  the  body  of  Rameses 
III.,  who  ascended  the  throne  one  thousand  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  years  before  our  era,  I  examined  the  painting  of  a 
plough,  which  is  precisely  like  those  now  in  every-day  use.  1 
have  seen  a  poor,  destitute,  nearly  naked  fellah,  harrowing  in 
grain,  by  dragging  a  small  log  to  and  fro,  over  the  ground,  by  a 
bit  of  rope  passing  over  his  shoulder.  Camels,  cows,  asses  and 
men,  are  employed  in  ploughing.  The  farmer  uses  no  whip, 
but  carries  a  staff"  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  long,  armed  at  one 
end  with  a  sharp  iron  spur,  and  having  at  the  other  a  rough 
iron  chisel,  with  a  socket,  to  fasten  it  on.  With  one  he  pricks 
the  animals,  to  urge  them  on  ;  and  with  the  other  clears  the 
coulter  of  mud,  weeds,  or  whatever  may  obstruct  the  free  move- 
ment of  the  plough.  It  is  surprising  how  well  they  furrow  the 
field  with  their  miserable  machine ;  the  cut  is  but  a  few  inches 
deep,  but  well  turned.  Grain  being  strewn,  the  plough  follows, 
to  cover  it ;  or,  when  sown  in  rows,  a  furrow  is  turned  over 
the  seeds.  Field  hands  are  literally  naked,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  scanty  piece  of  cloth  round  the  loins,  and  a  dirty, 
close-fitting  cap,  to  protect  their  shorn  skulls  from  the  intensity 
of  the  sun.  There  are  tracts  of  land  entirely  broken  up  by 
the  hoe,  where  a  gang  of  a  dozen  men,  keeping  side  by  side, 
work  back  and  forward,  across  the  field.  Their  attitude  is 
precisely  that  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  represented  in  the  agri- 
cultural scenes  in  the  tomb  discovered  by  Bruce,  the  traveller. 
Their  legs  are  long,  bodies  short,  head  small,  the  skin  of  a 
light  copper  color,  approximated,  by  the  old  artists,  by  a  brick- 
colored  paint.  When  making  pedestrian  excursions  to  ruins, 
both  in  Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  very  many  were  passed, 
engaged  in  their  daily  farming  pursuits ;  and  it  was  my  cus- 
tom to  watch  the  process   of  using  the  hoe,  mark  their  best 


MECHANIC   ARTS.  293 

position,  and  compare  them,  their  tools,  and  their  doings,  with 
copies  of  the  ancient  delineations.  The  Arabs,  whose  ances- 
tors conquered  the  country,  were  necessarily  obliged  to  copy  the 
agricultural  customs  of  those  whom  they  found  in  possession. 
The  system  of  irrigation  is  now  just  what  it  always  has  been ; 
and  the  ploughing,  watering,  digging,  harvesting,  shape  and 
use  of  the  only  two  reliable  tools  in  their  possession,  are  pre- 
sumed never  to  have  materially  changed,  from  the  reign  of 
Menes,  the  first  monarch,  to  the  subjugation  of  Egypt  by 
Mohammed  Ali. 

Green  Indian  corn,  millet,  —  resembling  broom-corn,  the 
grains  being  in  tufts,  at  the  top  of  the  stalk,  —  garden  vegeta- 
bles, melons,  fresh  clover,  and  many  other  things,  which  are 
annual  productions  of  the  soil  in  the  temperate  zones,  are  on 
sale,  the  year  round,  in  Eg)'pt,  in  places  remote  from  the  large 
towns,  at  prices  ridiculously  cheap. 

The  climate  is  so  bland  that,  even  in  the  winter  season, — 
which  is  characterized  particularly  by  cold  nights,  and  an  occa- 
sional cutting  west  wind,  —  children  of  both  sexes  go  nude  as 
Roman  statues,  in  the  mud-villages,  and  most  out-of-the-way 
places. 

MECHANIC  ARTS. 

There  is  no  native  constructiveness  in  the  present  races  who 
occupy  Eg}'pt.  All  the  mechanic  arts  are  in  a  melancholy 
state  of  rudeness,  without  any  indications  of  improvement,  not- 
withstanding the  specimens  of  other  countries  constantly  before 
them.  They  squat  on  the  ground,  cross-legged,  to  pursue  any 
mechanical  business.  I  have  seen  boat-builders,  at  Syene,  sit- 
ting in  the  sand,  hewing  a  stick  of  timber,  planing  boards,  bor- 
ing with  an  auger,  making  a  door,  shaving  a  mast  or  spar,  &c. 
Blacksmiths  sit  also  by  the  side  of  an  anvil,  hammering  a 


294  A    I'lLOllIMAOK    TO   UGYPT. 

heav}'-  bar  of  iron,  making  horse-shoes,  and  uianufacturing 
nails,  hooks,  kettle-bails,  and,  indeed,  all  common  blacksmith- 
ing.  Nothing  is  more  common  in  Cairo  than  to  see  large 
numbers^of  stout,  ^muscular  men,  seated  on  the  lap  of  mother 
earth,  at  a  turning-lathe,  which  is  not  raised  more  than  six 
inches  from  their  own  level,  turning;  this  is  effected  with  a 
long  bow,  drawn  back  and  forward  with  the  right  hand,  while 
the  chisel  is  held  by  the  handle  in  the  left,  but  guided  on  the 
rest  by  being  grasped  between  the  great  and  second  toe.  They 
are  almost  as  expert  as  monkeys  with  their  feet.  Tinmen  sit 
in  the  same  manner ;  coppersmiths,  too,  who  are  employed  by 
hundreds  in  the  cities, — for  copper  culinary  vessels  are  in  uni- 
versal use, —  all  take  the  ground  level.  Weavers  sink  a  hole 
in  the  floor  of  their  shops,  to  place  the  treadles,  the  only  way 
they  can  be  moved  while  sitting  on  the  floor.  Coopers  are 
obliged  to  stand,  unquestionably  against  their  will ;  but  the 
staves  are  all  put  into  shape  while  they  are  in  their  favorite 
position.  All  the  bakers'  ovens  are  on  the  same  plane  with  the 
shop  floor.  In  order  to  get  at  the  mouth  without  lying  flat  down, 
they,  too,  like  the  weavers,  have  a  hole  to  step  into.  In  short, 
nobody  stands,  in  Egypt,  but  slaves  and  servants.  Gentlemen 
have  no  use  for  legs,  whatever,  otherwise  than  to  fasten  spurs 
to,  when  on  horseback.  They  are  altogether  a  superfluity  for 
mechanics,  as  the  history  of  their  manipulations  clearly  shows. 
It  is  the  country,  of  all  others,  to  which  one-legged  and  no- 
legged  people  should  emigrate. 

Pipe-making  is  a  leading  manufacturing  interest  in  all  smok- 
ing countries ;  consequently,  in  Egypt,  where  life  is  frittered 
away  in  puffing  at  a  nargehleh,  or  long  pipe,  from  infancy  to 
extreme  old  age,  it  has  become  an  essential  branch  of  profita- 
ble business.  Brick-making  is  another  department  of  domestic 
economy,  conducted  in  the  most  primitive  and  awkward  man- 


MECHANIC   ARTS.  295 

ner.  Females  are  very  frequently  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture, sometimes  alone,  but  more  commonly  with  some  of  their 
male  relatives.  The  common  tenacious  earth  or  mud,  near  a 
dike,  is  kneaded  with  fine  straw,  with  the  hands,  and  pressed 
into  a  rough  wooden  mould,  one  only  being  made  at  a  time  ; 
and  they  are  then  placed  in  rows  to  dry.  Very  many  are  sim- 
ply patted  into  a  brick  form,  and,  like  the  others,  are  sun-dried  ; 
but,  for  ordinary  purposes  of  village  house-building,  walls,  &c., 
they  are  not  burned.  When  laid,  a  thin  solution  of  naud  only 
is  required  to  stick  them  together.  Females  not  unfrequently 
build  a  hut  in  this  way,  very  speedily.  The  roof  is  flat,  and 
fabricated  by  laying  millet-stalks  across,  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  with  limbs  of  the  acacia-tree,  and  other  kinds  of  sticks, 
strewn  over  with  straw,  and  finished  off  with  a  layer  of  mud. 
Pigeon-houses,  even  to  two  stories  high,  are  built  in  the  same 
manner.  Mud,  to  the  modern  Egyptians,  is  an  indispensable 
necessary.  Their  houses,  floors,  grain-bins,  ovens,  eccaleobians, 
dove-cotes,  sakkaies,  divans,  &c.,  are  all,  to  an  extraordinary 
extent,  formed  out  of  this  plastic  mud.  They  use  it,  too,  for 
washing  their  persons,  as  we  do  soap. 

A  relation  of  all  the  comical  and  oictre  mechanical  contriv- 
ances that  are  met  with  in  passing  through  the  streets,  and 
the  absurd  processes  tenaciously  practised  in  manufacturing 
domestic  conveniences,  would  require  many  pages. 

At  the  sugar-works,  owned  by  the  sons  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Upper  Nile,  the  machinery  is  of  the  very 
first  quality ;  but  it  was  manufactured  in  Paris,  and  is  wholly 
controlled  by  French  engineers.  At  the  barrage,  or  great 
bridge,  —  that  has  been  sluggishly  advancing  ever  since  Abbas 
Pasha  commenced  reigning,  —  the  great  diving-bell,  capable  of 
holding  sixty  laborers  at  once,  the  derricks,  boats  and  tools, 
of  the  first  quality,  are  also  from  France,  and  placed  under  the 


296'  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

especial  charge  of  French  and  English  engineers  and  masons ; 
still,  the  natives  take  no  hints  from  these  improved  and  admir- 
able labor-saving  machines,  nor  attempt  improvements  of  any 
kind. 

Boat-building,  as  before  remarked,  is  better  conducted  than 
any  other  of  their  mechanical  employments.  From  Atfeh,  at 
the  head  of  Mahmoodeeh  Canal,  to  Assuan,  boats  may  be  seen, 
every  seventy  or  a  hundred  miles,  on  the  stocks,  in  different 
stages  of  progress,  from  laying  the  keel  till  ready  for  launch- 
ing. Native  timber  is  extremely  scarce.  No  wood  suitable 
for  planks  ten  feet  long  could  be  found.  From  the  north  of 
Europe  the  government  obtain  whatever  is  required  to  keep 
the  navy  in  trim ;  but  most  of  the  craft  afloat  on  the  Nile  is 
the  product  of  the  country,  by  native  artisans.  The  keel  and 
a  few  long  ribs  may  be  of  foreign  growth.  Long  planks,  which 
serve  as  a  bridge  to  land  upon,  from  the  deck,  also  come  from 
abroad.  The  crooked  limbs  of  the  tamarask  and  acacia  are 
their  only  timber,  in  Upper  Egypt.  The  limbs  are  fitted  in 
between  the  ribs,  till  they  constitute,  in  some  boats,  a  solid 
wooden  wall.  The  trunks  of  these  trees  —  of  the  usual  size  of 
apple-trees,  rarely  a  foot  in  diameter  —  are  split  into  short 
plank,  when  no  others  are  procurable,  and  nailed  on.  Each 
spike-head  is  wound  with  tow,  and  sunk  below  the  common 
level,  so  as  to  have  no  resisting  surface.  The  tow  makes  a  tight 
joint.  It  is  quite  incredible  what  large  and  strong  boats  are 
thus  produced,  from  pieces  of  a  few  inches  in  diameter  by  three 
feet  in  length. 

rjvER  co:mmerce. 

From  immemorial  time  the  Nile  has  been  the  only  outlet  to 
the  sea  from  that  part  of  Africa  from  whence  it  flows.  It  was 
no  part  of  my  inquiry  to  ascertain  how  many  tons  of  merchan- 


A    NILE   BOAT.  297 

dise,  bushels  of  grain,  or  the  number  of  dates  and  slaves  were 
annually  brought  from  above,  or  how  many  boats  ascended  with 
merchandise.  The  river  is  the  public  highway,  and  boats  are 
incessantly  going  and  coming.  Some  are  of  great  capacity, 
and  none  of  them  move  far  without  transporting  something. 
Nearly  six  months,  in  sucfcession,  the  wind  blows  from  the 
north ;  and,  towards  spring,  it  changes,  and  comes  pretty  uni- 
formly from  the  south.  With  the  autumnal  breeze  travellers 
commence  their  explorations,  after  the  intense  heat  of  summer 
has  passed.  They  could  not  bear  the  climate,  exposed  to  the 
scorching  action  of  the  sun.  Grain  is  usually  carried  in  bulk. 
Where  straw  is  taken,  two  boats  are  lashed  together,  for  the 
purpose  of  a  broad  base,  not  easily  capsized.  The  straw  is 
piled  very  high,  and  secured  by  a  rope-netting,  —  it  being 
broken  into  short  bits,  by  being  trodden  upon  by  cattle,  in 
threshing  out  the  grain. 

There  are  from  four  to  twelve  sailors,  besides  the  reis  or  cap- 
tain, and  cook,  to  a  boat.  Ours  had  twelve,  all  told.  The  reis  is 
usually  a  partial  owner.  The  average  pay  of  a  hand  is  two  pias- 
tres, or  ten  cents,  a  day.  A  pilot  is  an  important  personage,  who 
is  familiar  with  the  channel,  the  projecting  mud-bars,  the  swift- 
running  currents  in  straits,  &c.,  who  is  devoted  to  the  helm, — 
seeming  to  sleep  but  little  when  the  wind  is  favorable.  He  has 
the  wages  of  a  man  and  a  half,  or  fifteen  cents  a  day.  The 
ordinary  monthly  compensation  would  not  vary  essentially  from 
three  dollars.  At  night,  they  lay  by  the  bank,  unless  there  is 
some  one  on  board  sufficiently  interested  in  the  property  or 
passage  to  hurry  and  urge  the  reis  to  keep  on  while  the  breeze 
holds.  Their  food  is,  principally,  a  coarse  black  bread,  made 
of  millet-meal  and  poor  flour,  baked  in  small  loaves  the  size  of 
a  coffee-cup.  Soon  after  it  comes  on  board,  fresh  from  the 
oven,  it  is  sliced  up  into  thin  pieces,  and  spread  to  dry,  and  it 


298  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT, 

speedily  becomes  hard  as  brick.  Meals  are  served  twice  a  day. 
The  cook  takes  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  bread,  puts  it  soak- 
ing in  hot  water,  and,  when  softened,  boils  it  with  peas  ;  and, 
when  they  are  dissolved,  and  smoking  hot,  the  mush  is  poured 
into  a  wooden  bowl,  if  they  have  one,  —  otherwise,  retained  in 
the  kettle.  They  have  neither  knives,  forks,  spoons  nor  chop- 
sticks. If  there  is  one  of  the  wooden  spoons,  common  to  the 
country,  either  the  cook  or  reis  takes  possession  of  it  for  the  time 
being.  Seated  round  the  mess,  flat  on  deck,  —  the  reis  and 
all,  —  each  plunges  his  fingers  into  the  hot  hodge-podge, 
and  dips  out  what  he  can.  When  procurable,  at  stopping- 
places,  onions  are  bought  by  individuals,  according  to  their  abil- 
ity, to  eat  with  bread.  Turnips  and  radishes  are  eaten  with  a 
gusto,  when  they  have  them.  They  are  excessively  fond  of 
them.  Their  meal  is  washed  down  with  water  that  often  looks 
as  though  it  had  been  dipped  from  a  cart-rut  in  a  bog.  Some 
have  a  filtering-pot;  but  that  is  a  luxury  which  all  cannot 
indulge  in.  Once  a  day,  —  in  the  morning,  —  the  reis  has  a 
cup  of  coffee,  thick  as  tar,  and  black  as  his  own  beard,  without 
sugar  or  milk,  in  a  homoeopathic  quantity,  —  for  half  the  shell 
of  a  hen's  egg  is  about  equal  to  the  capacity  of  an  Egyptian 
cofTee-cup.  Each  seaman  makes  it  a  point  to  have  a  little  bag 
of  an  ounce  or  two  of  coffee,  of  his  own,  which  he  mixes  when- 
ever he  likes.  All  coffee  in  the  shops  is  pounded,  in  iron  mor- 
tars, to  an  impalpable  powder ;  and  the  art  of  coffee-making,  in 
the  East,  consists  in  boiling  it  till  it  becomes  thick,  and  swal- 
lowing it  all  before  it  has  time  to  settle.  Meat  is  never  had 
among  them,  unless  presented  by  a  passenger,  as  backshiesh. 
They  are  ravenously  fond  of  it.  I  have  seen  them  devour 
every  part  of  a  sheep,  even  to  the  intestines,  and  then  trim  off 
the  ragged  parts  of  the  skin,  and  pull  the  wool  off,  and  eat  them 


FIXE   ARTS   AND   AKCUITECTUKE.  299 

also.     On  board,  they  always  grind  their  coffee  with  a  long, 
heavy  club,  endwise. 

The  officer  and  his  men  eat,  chat,  smoke  and  sleep  together. 
Some  of  them  have  a  straw  mat,  but  not  always.  Stretching 
out  at  night  in  their  bornouse,  —  a  coarse,  loose  frock,  with 
sleeves, —  a  watch  being  set,  they  sleep  in  the  open  air,  and 
dream  of  sweet  home  in  a  mud  hovel,  in  which  they  may  have 
from  one  to  four  wives,  with  rings  in  their  noses,  a  tattooed 
under-lip,  red  finger-nails,  dyed  with  henna,  and  fleas  enough 
to  destroy  an  elephant  in  one  night. 

FINE  ARTS  AND  ARCHITECTURE. 

No  attempts  are  made,  in  Egypt,  to  picture  anj-thing  on 
earth,  above  the  heavens,  or  beneath  the  waters.  In  the  first 
place,  no  orthodox  Mussulman  would  dare  to  do  what  the  Koran 
strictly  forbids.  Neither  painting  nor  sculpture,  even  of  the 
nidest  conception,  have  ever  been  noticed  by  me,  which  were  the 
work  of  the  Arabs.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  school- 
boy draw  the  outline  of  a  horse,  picture  a  bird,  or  amuse  him- 
self by  sketching  human  beings,  —  a  common  pastime  Avith 
Christian  children.  They  either  have  no  development  of  the 
organ  of  imitation,  or  they  are  restrained  from  exercising  it, 
through  fear. 

All  the  mosques  are  of  one  uniform  pattern,  varying  only  in 
size.  The  minarets  are  of  a  fixed,  nearly  unalterable  pat- 
tern. In  cities,  they  are  tolerably  well-constructed,  but  mostly 
out  of  old  materials.  Both  the  brick,  stone  and  pillars,  may 
have  lain  in  mortar  forty  times  before.  With  all  the  beautiful 
specimens  of  architecture  before  them,  which  have  given  rise  to 
whatever  is  grand  in  the  public  edifices  of  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica, they  have  never  been  influenced,  a  single  iota,  by  the  con- 
templation of  them.     The  best  of  private  dwellings  are  poor. 


300  4    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

comparatively,  —  the  second  story  ordinarily  jutting  out  beyond 
the  lower  one.  Some  of  the  narrow  streets  are  quite  dark,  even 
in  broad  day,  in  consequence  of  houses  on  the  sides  nearly 
meeting  at  the  top.     Palaces,  and  the  best  class  of  dwellings, 

—  occupied  by  the  pasha  and  the  great  officers  of  government, 

—  are  generally  the  workmanship  of  English,  French  or  Ger- 
man artificers.  A  new  palace  is  nearly  completed  at  the  north- 
west of  Cairo,  beyond  the  wall,  which  has  the  pleasant  aspect 
of  a  neat  three-story  private  dwelling-house  in  the  country. 
Of  the  interior  finish  of  that  particular  class  of  residences,  1 
have  nothing  to  relate,  having  had  no  opportunity  to  examine 
them. 

Sailing  by  the  small  palace  on  the  island  of  Rhoda,  one  day, 
the  light  struck  favorably,  and  we  could  see  a  woman  looking 
through  at  us,  attracted,  perhaps,  by  our  Ingleese  costume. 
Whoever  wears  a  hat  is,  of  course,  from  England  or  France,  — 
the  kingdoms  with  which  they  are  most  familiar. 

Whatever  is  built  speedily  becomes  ruinous,  and  falls  to 
pieces.  All  the  mosques  of  Cairo  are  shabby,  cracked  in  the 
walls,  doors  out  of  plumb,  or  windows  askew,  if  of  their  own 
fabsication.  Europeans  are  the  master-workmen  in  all  the  new 
edifices,  and  especially  in  the  great  mosque  of  Mohammed  Ali ; 
indeed,  everywhere,  when  elegance  and  luxury  are  sought. 
When  a  generation  dies  off,  the  structures  they  have  reared  die 
also.  Houses  in  which  princes  lived  tumble  down,  when  they 
are  not  there  to  take  care  of  them.  Even  the  tombs  of  the 
Mameluke  kings  —  intended  to  be  lasting  monuments  of  the 
majesty  and  resources  of  those  whose  mortal  remains  were  to 
repose  in  them  —  are  rickety,  dilapidated,  and  fast  disappear- 
ing. Their  attempts  at  painting  the  walls  of  some  structures, 
next  the  street,  are  barbarous.  A  favorite  color  is  a  dingy  red, 
daubed  on  with  an  oven  broom ;  and  the  nearer  it  looks  like  a 


AMUSEMENTS.  301 

chess-board,  the  better.  It  is  a  rarity  to  meet  with  a  thoroughly- 
built  mosque  in  Egypt.  Their  appearance  is  fine  at  a  distance, 
with  their  tall,  slender  minarets,  painted,  but  more  commonly 
whitewashed.  Taken  collectively,  they  are  dropping  away  ; 
and  might  disappear  entirely,  were  they  not  sometimes  repaired. 

AMUSEMENTS. 

Music  is  one  of  these,  if  the  horrible  din  they  make  with 
tambourines,  cymbals,  and  drums  (made  by  stretching  a  skin 
over  the  head  of  an  earthen  pot),  can  be  so  called.  Writers 
have  dwelt,  with  some  degree  of  pleasure,  on  their  national 
airs.  These  have  no  more  existence,  on  the  Nile,  than  the 
fine  arts.  Of  all  the  abominable  strains  imaginable,  from  a 
blast  in  a  conch-shell  to  the  braying  of  an  ass,  Arabic  melody 
is,  to  me,  the  most  intolerable.  The  ears  of  other  travellers 
have  been  more  easily  gratified  than  mine,  if  they  have  derived 
gratification  from  their  singing  or  instrumental  performances. 
The  sailors  sing  in  cadence,  and  the  dancing  girls  perform  to 
strains  that  would  frighten  a  stage-horse ;  but  the  monotony 
of  their  favorite  airs,  and  interminable  repetition  of  a  jingle 
of  words,  is  positively  shocking.  Unlike  Christian  sailors,  the 
oarsmen  never  indulge  in  obscene  sentiments :  their  songs  are 
a  melancholy  howl,  of  a  religious  expression,  with  very  little 
variation.  When  very  much  elated  with  some  unlooked-for 
success  in  the  form  of  backshiesh,  they  have  an  extemporaneous 
song  for  the  express  occasion.  The  first  rower  leads  off  with 
a  line,  manufactured  instantly,  and  the  others  bawl  out  the 
same,  as  a  chorus.  Thus  Alick,  the  best  of  our  crew,  would 
yell, 

"0,  where  is  the  fair  girl  with  a  ring  in  her  nose  ?  " 

Eight  stout  fellows,  not  one  of  them  with  a  note  of  music  in 

his  voice,  would  shout  together, 
26 


302  A    PlLGlllMAGi:   TO    KGYrX. 

"  0,  where  is  the  ftxir  girl  ■with  a  ring  iu  her  uose  ?  " 

Alick  would  take  breath,  while  his  companions  were  exploding, 
and,  at  the  last  sound,  would  construct  another  line  : 

"  If  I  had  flowers  of  gold,  I  'd  put  them  in  her  hand." 

All  at  once  they  would  commence  again  the  first  stanza : 

"0,  where  is  the  fair  girl  with  a  ring  in  her  nose  ?  " 

and  repeat  it  by  the  hour  together.  This  translation  is  far 
from  being  elegant,  but  it  was  the  best  to  be  had,  at  the  time, 
from  the  dragoman.  To  a  poor,  half-clad  boatman,  whose 
imagination  is  as  active  as  a  pasha's,  and  who  has  never  seen 
anything  more  captivating,  as  an  auxiliary  to  Nubian  female 
charms,  than  a  brass  hoop  in  the  right  wing  of  the  nose,  a  song 
of  this  character  awakens  exhilarating  emotions  quite  incom- 
prehensible to  gentlemen  who  think  a  nose  without  a  ring  is 
preferable. 

As  we  stepped  into  the  boat,  above  the  first  cataract,  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  ruins  on  the  island  of  Philse,  the  crew  appeared 
particularly  delighted  at  securing  the  job,  which  several  boats 
were  trying  to  obtain.  One  of  them  raised  the  American  flag, 
we  had  brought,  on  a  pole  at  the  stern ;  but  the  stripes  struck 
him  as  something  new ;  and,  being  told  that  it  was  the  sand- 
jack  of  the  nation  to  which  we  belonged,  in  the  New  World, 
he  commenced  an  extemporaneous  song,  that  did  not  create 
much  enthusiasm,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  had  no  backshiesh. 

One  beautiful  moonlight  evening,  when  the  reis  was  puffing 
some  of  his  longest  whiffs,  and  myself  and  companions  were 
seated  on  the  canteen,  contemplating  the  strangeness  of  our 
position  on  the  mysterious  Nile,  and  glimpses  were  now  and 
then  had  of  mud  habitations  in  one  direction,  and  colossal 
ruins  of  dwellings  reared  for  the  gods,  in  others,  and  all  hands 


TAMBOUKIXES.  305 

were  quietly  tugging  at  the  oar,  the  leader  commenced  singing, 
in  one  bar, 

"  Pray  to  Mohammed,  pray  to  Moliammed;" 

which  the  rest  swelled  into  an  awful  peal  of  human  noise,  as 
the  words  died  away  upon  the  thick  lips  of  Alick.  An  Amer- 
ican on  board,  who  makes  no  pretensions  to  skill  in  poetical 
efforts,  gave  the  sentiment  the  following  form  : 

'*  The  kanjia  glides  so  freely  down  the  pleasant  stream, 
It 's  like  a  liouri's  vision,  in  a  summer  dream  ; 
And  those  who  would  enjoy  it,  all  beautiful  and  bright, 
Should  bow  their  heads  to  Mecca,  our  source  of  hope  and  light. 
Then  kneel  to  Mohammed,  our  Mussulman  crew, 
And  pray  for  soft  breezes  and  light-falling  dew  ; 
May  the  smiles  of  the  Prophet,  the  glory  of  day, 
Be  the  bounty  of  him  who  in  meekness  shall  pray  ! 

"  The  crescent  is  waving  on  the  banner  so  high, 
AVhile  the  mosque,  with  its  minarets,  points  to  the  sky  ; 
'Tis  the  paradise  where  all  the  faithful  shall  rest ; 
Then  pray  to  Mohammed ;  0  pray  to  be  blest ! ' ' 

Frequently,  when  I  have  been  strolling  in  the  great  square, 
in  front  of  the  citadel,  in  Cairo,  I  have  witnessed  the  perform- 
ance of  musicians  on  the  zummarah,  and  an  analogous  Avind 
instrument.  They  are  awfully  harsh,  without  a  single  redeem- 
ing note.  A  tambourine  is  the  universal  accompaniment  to  all 
music,  and  even  to  singing,  without  music.  A  performer  will 
sing  by  the  half-hour  together,  shaking  and  rattling  the  semi- 
bells,  as  though  he  depended  upon  it  to  knock  the  sentiments 
he  was  uttering  into  the  stupid  noddles  of  his  auditors.  Earth- 
en pot  drums  are  in  repute  throughout  Egypt,  by  all  the  lower 
classes,  A  perpetual  thump,  thump,  is  heard  in  some  part  of 
every  village.  Marriages,  feasts  of  circumcision,  and  glorifica- 
26* 


306  A    riLGKIMAGK   TO   EGYPT. 

tions  of  all  descriptions,  are  heightened  with  a  darabukker. 
Near  my  lodgings  in  Cairo,  a  few  rods  from  the  public  treasury, 
one  of  those  tom-toms  was  a  source  of  vexation,  from  appar- 
ently never  being  at  rest.  Every  one  can  perform  upon  it, 
Avhether  he  has  music  in  his  soul  or  not ;  and,  what  is  quite 
remarkable,  it  is  such  a  general  favorite,  that  the  thump  upon 
the  elastic  head  by  any  fist  proves  equally  exciting,  and  those 
who  have  leisure  to  listen  simultaneously  commence  beating 
time,  by  clapping  their  hands  sj-nchronously.  It  is  for  sale 
in  various  places,  to  meet  this  universal  demand,  where  it 
would  otherwise  be  quite  out  of  place ;  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciple that  all  orders  of  shop-keepers  keep  quack  medicines,  in 
the  United  States,  because  we  are  a  quack  medicine  taking 
people.  AVhole  stands  are  occupied  by  pedlers,  in  the  streets 
and  highways,  with  nothing  but  these  drums,  of  various  sizes, 
finish  and  cost,  down  to  petite  darabukkehs,  not  larger  than  an 
alderman's  thumb,  for  children.  The  national  taste,  therefore,  is 
formed  in  childhood,  and  remains  predominant  in  after  life.  All 
boats  have  these  drums  on  board,  where  they  can  be  afforded ; 
and,  in  passing  on  the  river,  the  crews  strike  up  an  awful  noise 
of  voice  and  tom-tom  combined.  Our  crew  up  the  river  peti- 
tioned for  one  most  earnestly,  and  the  case  was  pleaded  in 
their  behalf  by  Hassan,  who  said,  among  other  arguments 
adduced  in  support  of  their  claim,  "  dat  all  gentlemen  give  um 
one.  Den,  when  de  wind  is  good,  dey  feel  good,  too,  and  make 
sing;  very  nice,  indeed,  —  tibe."  So  we  were  persuaded,  and 
purchased  one,  which,  before  the  expiration  of  ten  days,  we 
wished  in  the  bottom  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

Wherever  I  have  seen  the  dancing  girls,  they  were  invaria- 
bly accompanied  by  an  old  man,  and  sometimes  two,  perform- 
ers on  the  kemenger,  besides  a  tambourine  player. 

In  coffee-shops,  in  tents,  about  the  neighborhood  of  the  Frank 


DAXCIXG   GIRLS.  307 

street,   in   Cairo,  a  nay  player   may  be    heard    occasionally. 
Without  attempting  a  detail  of  the  minute  finish  of  this  instru- 


ment, we  assure  the  reader  that  it  looks  much  like  a  flute, 
and  gives  out  a  soft  sound,  by  blowing  in  at  the  end,  at  an 
angle  with  the  mouth.  In  the  mosques  of  the  whirling  der- 
vishes it  is  presumed  to  be  common,  its  sound  being  always 
recognized  in  the  noise  that  is  raised  while  they  are  spinning 
round  the  floor.  I  heard  the  same  instrument  played  for  the 
dervishes  at  Pera,  in  Constantinople,  and,  for  the  first  time, 
there  was  a  slight  degree  of  melody  in  the  sound. 

Dancing  Girls.  —  They  are  called  Ghawazee,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country.  Some  are  qviite  tall,  and  others  are 
remarkably  short.  They  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
gypsies  I  have  seen  in  England.  Several  whom  I  saw  perform 
in  Upper  Egypt  bore  a  striking  likeness  to  Malays.  Their 
dress  was  of  a  light  material ;  thin,  too,  —  scarcely  concealing 
their  persons.     Of  all  the  common   people  seen,  they  were 


308  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYn. 

decidedly  the  best  looking.  Theoretically,  they  were  driven, 
in  1834,  from  Cairo,  on  account  of  the  looseness  of  their  morals, 
into  exile,  up  the  river ;  but  they  are  numerous  there,  yet,  and 
perform,  by  special  request,  at  houses  where  there  is  no  danger 
of  calling  doAvn  the  offended  majesty  of  the  law,  Italian 
women,  and,  perhaps,  some  of  the  native  females,  derive  some 
gain  by  keeping  apartments  for  them.  Wherever  a  town  is 
reconnoitred,  in  the  poorest,  shabbiest  huts,  on  the  outskirts, 
they  have  their  homes.  Different  from  all  other  females,  their 
faces  are  never  covered ;  their  dress  is  of  a  light  rose-color,  a 
delicate  yellow,  or  an  equally  soft  blue.  Their  foreheads  are 
frequently  covered  by  pieces  of  Turkish  gold  coin,  suspended 
in  strings,  one  below  another.  They  are  stockingless,  but 
wear  red  morocco  shoes,  stiff  and  hard.  They  come  down  to 
the  bank,  near  where  the  traveller's  boat  is  moored,  and  dance 
with  might  and  main,  unsolicited,  with  a  hope  of  backshiesh. 
Their  belts  are  strung  with  trinkets,  such  as  small  silver 
triangles,  or  little  bells ;  and  all  have  metallic  castanets  in 
each  hand.  Stripping  off  their  shoes,  when  the  music  begins, 
their  hips  suddenly  rise  up,  their  bodies  sway  either  way, 
their  toes  cramp  into  the  sand,  or  to  the  floor, — wherever 
they  happen  to  be,  —  while  their  countenances  assume  an  ear- 
nestness of  expression ;  the  furor  increases,  the  features  become 
impassioned,  the  castanets  click,  and  thus  they  pass  from  one 
degree  of  excitement  to  another,  till,  quite  exhausted  with  the 
intense  action  of  every  muscle  in  their  frames,  the  exhibition 
closes,  with  a  round  of  applause.  Viewed  in  the  most  indul- 
gent manner,  their  performances  are  grossly  indecent.  In 
some  towns  I  have  seen  them  sitting  in  the  bazaars,  dressed 
in  their  peculiar  style,  and  in  front  of  barbers'  shops,  where 
stranger  Arabs  go,  to  get  their  heads  shaven.  From  very 
early  life  they  are  trained  to  the  profession. 


DANCING    GIKL3. 


309 


Keturning  late,  on  a  certain  evening,  to  the  boat,  from  an 
excursion  to  Thebes,  we  found  a  very  old  man  playing  the 
kemengeh,  while  a  pretty  little  girl,  not  more  than  eight  or  ten 
years  of  age,  dressed  out  in  the  true  Ghawazee  costume,  rattles 
and  castanets,  was  performing  with  characteristic  lascivious  ges- 
ticulation. Such  is  the  fascination  of  these  extremely  gross 
shows,  that  they  are  frequently  hired  to  amuse  the  ladies  in 


DA^'CING  GIRLS. 


harems  ;  but  a  method  of  economizing  is  to  have  the  dance  in 
the  court,  where  the  men  can  enjoy  the  entertainment,  and  the 
ladies  of  the  establishment  also,  by  peering  through  the  lattice, 
—  for  men  and  women  are  never  in  society  together.     In  fact. 


310  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

there  is  no  society  in  Mahommedan  countries.  These  Ghawazee 
pride  themselves  on  being  descended  from  the  Barmakees, 
referred  to  in  the  Arabian  Nights.  It  is  not  advisable  to  write 
all  that  might  be  written  illustrative  of  the  course  of  life  they 
pursue,  and  that  of  their  ancestors  before  them,  for  more  than 
thirty  centuries.  It  appears,  from  monumental  record,  they 
danced  in  Eg)^pt  long  before  the  children  of  Israel  made  their 
exit,  precisely  as  they  did  in  my  presence ;  for,  in  the  old  tomb 
paintings,  are  representations  of  dancing-girls  at  entertainments, 
performing  to  the  accompaniments  of  instruments,  who  were,  if 
possible,  more  depraved  than  they  are  now  commonly  supposed 
to  be,  as  they  danced  in  a  nude  condition.  To  show  that 
they  are  unchanged,  and  that  the  peculiarity  of  the  dance  and 
its  corrupting  tendencies  are  precisely  what  they  ever  were  in 
the  worst  period  of  ancient  Egyptian  heathenism,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  declare  that  I  witnessed  the  performance  of  tvv'o 
of  these  dancers,  who,  in  the  midst  of  their  exaltation,  actually 
threw  off  their  only  covering,  and  continued  the  remainder  of 
their  performance  absolutely  naked. 

Circles  of  pantaloonless  Arabs,  boys  of  all  ages,  and  vulgar 
females,  — veiled,  of  course,  —  with  strangers  in  hats,  caps,  and 
tarbousches  and  frocks,  are  met  with,  in  which  one  or  two 
natives  are  singing.  To  me,  there  was  not  even  an  approach 
to  harmony.  Certainly,  had  there  been  a  regularly-defined 
tune,  I  must  have  detected  it;  but,  shocking  as  it  was,  the 
crowd  were  invariably  entranced  both  by  the  sentiment  and  air. 
Sometimes  it  struck  me  there  was  a  recitative,  —  a  whining 
dialogue.  Had  their  voices  been  distinguished  for  softness, 
clearness,  or  volume,  the  nature  of  the  effect  on  the  groups  would 
have  been  understood  better;  but  a  blow  on  a  cracked  kettle 
would  have  been  just  as  musical.  Standing  on  tiptoe,  one 
morning,  to  distinguish,  over  the  heads  of  those  in  the  com- 


SMOKERS. 


311 


pact  phalanx  before  me,  the  words  the  singers  articulated, 
a  Syrian  dragoman,  whom  I  knew,  observed  that  it  was  very 
good.  This  observation  prompted  me  to  ask  what  he  meant : 
Was  it  the  air  or  the  poetry  that  gratified  him  ?  "  Both,"  he 
quickly  replied ;  "  our  peoples  is  very  fond  of  dese  moosic." 
Afterwards,  watching  the  varying  expression  of  Ibrahim's  face, 
rather  than  the  "  moosic,"  and  quickly  discovering  that  it  elated 
him  very  perceptibly,  he  was  questioned  again.  He  told  me 
that  the  song,  or,  rather,  the  stanzas,  were  composed  as  they 
sang,  the  subject  being  a  beautiful  slave  and  gold,  —  the  only 
two  things  worth  living  for,  in  an  Arab's  estimation.  Plays 
are  enacted,  also,  in  the  streets,  or,  rather,  open  spaces  near  the 
most  travelled  thoroughfares;  but  they  are  too  childish,  tame 
and  insipid,  to  be  worth  analyzing. 

Coffee-houses  are  the  resorts  of  idlers,  where  professed  story- 
tellers resort  to  gain  an  honest  penny.  From  all  accounts,  it 
must  be  a  low  amusement ;  for  the  listeners  could  not  appre- 
ciate a  noble  sentiment  or  a  patriotic  burst  of  enthusiasm. 
Whatever  is  retailed  to  the  smokers  must  be  brought  down 
to  the  debased  level  of  their  moral  feelings.  It  is  flimsy 
stuff,  at  best,  if  my  information  is  correct.  In  pursuit  of  an 
opium-smoking  shop,  a  hope  was  indulged  that  I  might  light 
upon  one  of  the  retailers  of  extravagant  stories ;  but  not  one 
came  under  my  cognizance.  I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of 
passing  near  a  place  where  a  number  of  sober,  bushy-bearded 
Arabs  were  smoking  extract  of  Indian  hemp,  which  produced 
results  altogether  extraordinary.  Without  a  word  being  said, 
one  would  suddenly  commence  laughing,  till  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks ;  then  another  would  follow,  and  another,  till 
a  person,  unacquainted  with  the  peculiar  effects  of  the  drug, 
would  suppose  that  their  obstreperous  mirth  was  the  result  of 
a  deep  and  keen  perception  of  something  excessively  ridiculous. 


312  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYl'T. 

Their  ecstatic  visions,  while  the  brain  is  acted  upon  by  this  most 
remarkable  of  all  articles  on  the  nervous  system,  far  exceed 
those  produced  by  opium. 

EDUCATION. 

Of  the  literature  of  modern  Egj'pt,  my  researches  liave  been 
far  too  limited  to  justify  me  in  advancing  an  opinion.  It  is 
admitted,  however,  by  those  who  should  know,  that  there  is 
none.  Men  of  political  distinction  cannot  write  their  names ; 
and  many,  in  official  stations,  wear  monstrosities,  in  the  shape 
of  rings,  on  their  fingers,  bearing  a  seal,  with  which  they  sign 
documents,  by  first  rubbing  some  thick  black  ink  on  it  with  the 
end  of  a  finger,  and  then  pressing  on  the  paper.  Some  appear 
to  act  as  though  it  were  beneath  them  to  read  or  write,  it  being 
the  office  of  slaves  to  use  books.  This  nmst  be  a  remnant  of 
old  Mameluke  times,  when  the  great  men  \ATere  ignorant  of 
those  accomplishments,  and  made  it  fashionable  to  discard  their 
cultivation.  It  cannot  be  so  at  this  late  day,  since  the  discov- 
ery has  been  made  by  them,  in  their  intercourse  with  howadjis, 
that  laiowledge  is  power.  I  have  frequently  seen  Turkish  offi- 
cers impress  their  signet-ring,  but  could  not  ascertain  whether 
they  could  read  or  not.  Such  persons  have  their  secretaries, 
who  are  generally  Armenians,  Jews,  Syrians,  and  Copts.  Those 
who  can  write  —  and,  judging  from  the  number  of  those  who 
carry  writing  apparatus,  they  are  numerous  in  the  busy  parts 
of  the  cities  —  have  a  heavy  brass  or  silver  ink-box,  stuck  in 
their  silk  girdles.  No  doubt  some  carry  it  for  show,  as  an 
essential  fixture  of  a  business  man.  I  never  saw  any  book  read 
but  the  Koran,  and  that  in  a  mosque.  There,  the  pious  investi- 
gator of  the  truth  announced,  by  the  see-sawing  motion  of  his 
body,  and  loud  intonation  of  his  voice,  that  he  cared  for  nobody. 
Sometimes,  in  ranging  through  the  bazaars,  persons  may  be 


SCHOOLS.  313 

seen  casting  up  accounts ;  but  reading,  as  a  purely  mental 
exercise,  for  pleasure  or  improvement,  is  presumed  to  be  an 
unknown  exercise. 

There  are  so  called  colleges  of  dervishes ;  but  the  word 
rendered  college,  in  the  Arabic,  to  my  understanding,  does  not 
convey  the  idea  of  a  school  of  literature,  but  a  peculiar  sect  of 
Mussulmans,  Avho  conceive  that  whirling  round,  like  a  teetotum, 
till  they  are  unconscious,  brings  them  into  intimate  spiritual 
communion  with  the  prophet;  and  their  institution,  therefore, 
is  for  maintaining  the  purity  of  their  faith,  and  the  practice  of 
these  gyrations,  and  the  prayers  which  distinguish  the  sect. 
But  the  idea  of  study  for  improvement,  by  the  assistance  of 
other  minds,  through  books,  is  absurd:  the  Koran,  the  book  of 
books,  contains  all  they  wish  to  know  of  earth  or  heaven. 

Schools  for  the  primary  instruction  of  youth  are  compara- 
tively modern  inventions.  They  are  established  in  Alexandria, 
Cairo,  Ekhmin,  and  other  large  towns.  Wherever  they  are 
located,  they  would  be  considered  an  outrageous  nuisance,  in  any 
countiy  but  Egypt.  Such  is  the  uproar  that  bedlam  would  as 
soon  be  suspected  a  place  of  learning,  by  a  stranger,  as  one  of 
those  nurseries  of  the  immortal  mind.  All  the  scholars  are  boys ; 
girls  are  of  no  account,  and  therefore  never  have  a  thought  be- 
stowed upon  them  in  regard  to  education.  A  shrewd  observer, 
who  was  every  inch  a  Turk,  said,  if  they  were  taught  to  wTite, 
they  would  be  intriguing ;  and  it  was  better,  therefore,  that  they 
should  never  know  anything  beyond  the  door  of  the  harem, 
for  which  they  were  destined  by  nature  and  custom.  Chil- 
dren, large  and  small,  at  school,  sit  flat  on  the  floor,  —  as  their 
superiors  in  age  do,  of  a  larger  growth,  —  without  a  stool,  chair, 
table,  desk,  or  a  support  for  the  back.  There  is  no  kind  of 
furniture  in  the  room.  Usually,  the  school  is  on  the  first  floor, 
on  the  street,  the  door  being  open,  and  the  whole  system 
27 


314 


A   PILGRIMAGE   TO    KGYPT. 


exposed  to  the  gaze  of  the  passers-by.  Many  of  the  teachers 
are  stone  blind.  I  remember  of  watching  the  discipline  of  a 
school,  in  Alexandria,  which  was  a  model  one  in  some  respects, 
because  the  boys  screamed  the  loudest,  and  the  master  had  a 
good  ear  and  industrious  habits.  Although  blind,  he  was  braid- 
ing mats  continually;  and,  when  the  whole  school  read  extracts 
from  the  Koran,  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  all  at  once,  the 
acuteness  of  his  ear  was  sufficient  to  detect  a  mistake  among 
nearly  forty  as  mischievous  little  urchins  as  were  ever  sent  to 
worry  a  pedagogue.  A  board,  a  little  less  than  a  foot  square, 
is  held  in  the  left  hand,  and  resting  in  the  lap,  by  some,  who 
write  what  they  are  directed,  from  the  Koran.  They  are  equiv- 
alent to  slates.  The  handwriting  is  large,  and  distinctly  drawn. 
They  learn  the  alphabet  in  the  same  manner. 


Of  the  higher  systems  of  instruction,  principally  in  the  hands 
of  the  priesthood,  —  if  there  is  one,  —  and  persons  who  are  in 
connection  with  the  mosques,  no  reliable  information  has  been 
collected. 

While  strolling  towards  the  harbor,  one  day,  in  a  back  street 
of  Alexandria,  I  came  to  a  school-room,  the  floor  of  which  was 


PUNISHMENT   OF    A   SCIIOOL-BOY.  315 

rather  below  the  grade  of  the  street.  A  large  boy  sat  in  front 
of  the  master,  reeling  to  and  fro  while  reciting  from  memory, 
and  crying  bitterly  at  the  same  time,  which  particularly 
caught  my  attention.  I  therefore  stood  watching  him.  The 
retention  of  the  lad's  memory  was  perfectly  surprising.  He 
neither  hesitated,  stammered,  nor  omitted  a  word ;  still  the  big 
tears  rolled  down  his  ruddy  cheeks.  I  became  impatient  to 
ascertain  the  cause.  When  the  recitation  came  to  an  end,  the 
master  seized  him  by  the  collar,  back  of  his  neck,  with  the 
ferocity  of  a  tiger,  and  jerked  him  on  his  face.  The  boy  strug- 
gled, as  though  it  were  for  life.  At  the  same  moment,  a  stal- 
wart Arab,  from  a  remote  corner,  flew  to  the  spot,  and  seized  the 
legs  of  the  resisting  prisoner,  —  bringing  with  him  a  stick  the 
size  of  his  wrist,  strung  with  two  cords.  As  it  fell  on  the  floor, 
it  bore  some  resemblance  to  an  ox-yoke,  —  the  cords  entering 
by  both  ends,  like  the  bows.  I  saw  the  object  was  to  put  the 
culprit's  ankles  into  the  loops,  draw  one  end,  and  thus  hold  both 
feet  in  a  vice.  The  violence  of  the  struggle,  and  the  savage 
determination  of  the  two  men,  was  exciting  in  the  highest 
degree,  —  all  my  sympathies  being  roused  in  behalf  of  the 
resisting  child.  They  had  not  fairly  subdued  him,  when  one 
of  them  happened  to  raise  his  eyes,  and,  for  the  first  time,  saw 
me.  He  let  go  his  hold,  and  slunk  back,  muttering  something, 
it  was  presumed,  about  hated  Frank.  All  three  were  afraid,  per- 
haps, of  the  evil  eye.  The  urchin  was  quickly  on  his  feet,  and 
walked  to  his  place.  I  remained  a  while  longer,  with  a  spir- 
ited determination  to  give  them  the  full  influence  of  a  stare. 
This  incident  led  me  to  believe  that  infractions  of  the  teacher's 
laws  are  severely  punished  by  the  bastinado.  The  instrument 
for  binding  the  feet  was  precisely  like  one  which  we  saw  in  one 
of  the  courts.  Blows  are  the  evidence  of  power  in  this  country; 
and  those  who  deal  out  the  most  of  them  are  the  most  feared. 


316  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 


SCIENCE. 


Whether  there  is  any  attention  given  to  the  sciences  by  the 
natives,  remains  to  be  discovered.  Medicine  and  surgery,  on 
the  score  of  economy,  were  considered  worth  fostering  by 
Mohammed  Ali,  who  instituted  a  medical  school,  for  the  edu- 
cation of  surgeons  for  the  army  and  navy.  Their  religious 
horror  of  a  dead  body  was  overcome  by  the  viceroy,  who  could 
conquer  all  scruples  with  a  bastinado.  He  had  in  his  service 
a  French  surgeon,  known  to  fame  as  Clot  Bey,  who,  being  a 
favorite,  was  liberally  indulged  in  carrying  out  plans  which 
secured  his  own  name  from  perishing,  while  they  brought  about 
a  great  revolution  in  the  public  sentiment.  When  his  school 
of  medicine  was  ready,  the  pasha  had  intelligent  boys  placed 
there,  whether  they  wished  to  be  surgeons  or  not.  Their  first 
lessons  were  in  reading  their  own  language;  and,  by  degrees, 
they  heard  lectures  on  anatomy  and  surgery,  then  dissected, 
&c.,  till  a  surgeon  was  wanted  by  government.  The  best  on  the 
catalogue  was  always  taken  for  this  purpose,  and  thus  a  large 
body  of  native  surgeons  was  created.  They  never  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  the  French  language ;  consequently,  each  lecture 
was  translated  into  Arabic,  before  they  comprehended  its  char- 
acter. A  few  of  them  were  sent  to  Paris,  with  a  view,  if  pos- 
sible, of  rearing  up  a  body  of  professors  ;  but  the  viceroy  never 
realized  his  expectations  from  these.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
Arabs  susceptible  of  being  improved  by  European  academies. 
On  their  return,  though  they  might  have  acquired  the  French 
dialect,  they  had  no  more  science  than  before.  Not  a  single 
instance  is  recorded  of  brilliant  success  on  the  part  of  these 
beneficiaries.  During  their  pupilage,  they  are  fed,  clothed 
and  have  a  regular  monthly  income. 

There  are  several  military  hospitals  on  the  river,  for  seamen 


MEDICINE.  317 

and  disabled  troops,  in  which  native  surgeons  are  assistants ; 
but  I  know  of  no  institution  in  which  any  one  is  intrusted  with 
discretionary  power.  English  physicians  and  surgeons,  who 
happen  to  be  established  near  any  of  those  establishments,  are 
invariably  placed  at  the  head  of  them. 

The  medical  school  is  now  controlled  principally  by  a  few 
German  medical  gentlemen,  who  came  into  favor  with  the 
pasha  as  the  French  party  walked  out.  The  last  was  in  the 
ascendant  from  the  organization  of  the  government  under  ]\Io- 
hammed  Ali  to  the  day  of  his  death,  when  a  new  ruler  suc- 
ceeded, who  had  new  aspirations,  new  objects  of  ambition,  and 
old  personal  grudges.  Clot  Bey  was  obliged  to  retire ;  but  he 
has  had  no  successor  who  has  accomplished  anything  for  sci- 
ence or  humanity.  One  or  two  French  books  on  medical  sci- 
ence were  translated  into  Arabic,  while  Clot  Bey  was  in  the 
meridian  of  his  activity.  All  that  native  practitioners  know 
of  the  diseases  peculiar  to  Egj'-pt  is  from  foreigners. 

There  are  Arabic  hakems,  who  have  had  no  intercourse  wdth 
the  new  teachers,  and  who  practise,  it  is  concluded,  as  their 
predecessors  did,  by  the  agency  of  incantations,  charms,  and 
other  nonsense,  which,  to  the  ignorant  sufferers  who  seek  their 
assistance,  is  of  a  solemn  character.  My  interview  with  one 
of  this  order  is  mentioned,  in  the  diary,  at  Thebes. 

MERCANTILE  LIFE. 

Eg}'pt  has  necessarily  been  a  trading  country,  from  its  geo- 
graphical position,  and  geological  organization.  There  are  two 
classes  of  merchants  here,  as  everywhere  else ;  namely,  the  cap- 
italists, who  pursue  a  species  of  wholesaling,  and  others,  who  deal 
on  a  smaller  scale.  Grain,  slaves,  cotton  and  dates,  constitute 
the  bulk  of  the  river  commerce.  To  carry  on  business,  there- 
fore, through  the  whole  country,  far  into  the  regions  beyond 
27^ 


318  A    riLGRlMAGi:   TO    EUYl'T. 

the  control  of  the  government,  merchants  from  the  interior  of 
Africa  must  bring  to  the  Egj'ptian  market  products  which 
Egyptians  are  not  permitted  to  go  for  themselves.  Thus, 
ivory,  ostriches,  curious  varieties  of  hard  wood,  monkeys  and 
dates,  are  brought  immense  distances,  from  places  quite  un- 
known to  modern  travellers,  except  by  name.  They  come 
down  over  the  two  upper  cataracts,  with  their  property,  and 
occasionally  still  lower  down,  to  Assuan,  where  an  exchange 
is  made,  for  such  articles  as  may  be  in  demand  where  they 
belong. 

Assuan  is  the  first  slave-market  in  Egj'pt.  All  slaves  intro- 
duced into  the  country  from  the  interior  of  Africa  come  down 
the  Nile,  and,  on  arriving  there,  a  registration  is  made,  and  a 
duty  required  to  be  paid  on  each, — already  referred  to,  —  before 
they  can  be  forwarded  to  Cairo.  The  revenue  from  that  one 
source  is  very  considerable.  I  have  seen  Dongola  and  Darfoor 
boats,  with  slaves  from  beyond  those  countries.  It  was  at 
Assuan  I  had  an  interview  with  the  Abyssinian  merchant, 
mentioned  in  the  diary,  who  had  never  heard  of  America ;  and 
yet  he  was  a  man  of  intelligence,  of  eager  curiosity,  and  gen- 
tlemanly address.  To  him  Cairo  was  the  centre  of  the  uni- 
verse, the  great  capital  of  the  commercial  world. 

One  evening,  while  seated  in  a  circle  of  smoking,  caravan 
Arabs,  in  the  desert  of  Arabia,  one  of  them  withdrew  his  pipe, 
spun  out  a  mouthful  of  smoke,  in  a  fine-drawn  wire,  and  asked 
me  if  people  wore  such  things  on  their  heads,  in  my  country, 
as  was  then  on  mine, — a  common  black  hat.  Next  he  inquired 
the  cost  of  it.  The  price  —  five  dollars  —  astonished  him ;  he 
thought  it  monstrously  dear,  and  quite  objectionable,  because 
it  was  so  stiff',  hard  to  the  head,  unyielding,  and  like  an  iron 
pot.  He  next  inquired  if  I  had  ever  seen  a  town  as  large  as 
Cairo.     A  dot  was  made  in  the  sand,  with  my  finger,  to  repre- 


BAZAABS.  319 

sent  that  city,  and  then  a  circle  dra-wii,  about  a  foot  in  diam- 
eter, which  stood  for  London.  It  was  represented  that  one 
city  bore  the  same  relation  to  the  other  that  the  finger-point 
did  to  the  circle.  As  Cairo  has  not  far  from  two  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  London  over  two  millions,  he  was  given 
to  understand  the  comparison  was  not  out  of  the  way.  But  he 
and  his  associates  shook  their  heads,  with  an  air  of  incredulity ; 
they  evidently  entertained  their  original  opinion,  that  Cairo 
was  unequalled  for  beauty,  wealth,  population  and  power. 

Bazaars  are  stores.  One  street  is  exclusively  appropriated 
to  those  dealing  in  certain  articles,  and  another  to  others,  and 
thus  through  all  the  shades  of  trade.  Retail  shops  vary  from 
four  feet  square  to  ten  by  twenty, —  very  rarely  larger;  but  the 
majority  are  mere  boxes,  into  which  the  proprietor  can  back, 
Avhen  his  goods  are  properly  stowed.  If  filled  with  calicoes, 
cotton  cloth,  and  such  like  materials,  the  owner  sits,  cross- 
legged,  in  the  doorway,  smoking.  Customers  cannot  enter,  if 
they  would,  into  many  of  them ;  and,  to  save  them  the  trouble, 
the  pieces  they  ask  for  are  handed  down,  even  without  rising. 
I  have  seen  many  of  those  energetic  capitalists  fast  asleep,  in 
passing  along  by  their  dens ;  but  they  seldom,  if  ever,  lose  any- 
thing by  theft,  which  is  a  rare  offence ;  and,  consequently, 
their  property  is  perfectly  safe,  however  long  Morpheus  holds 
them  captive.  Grocers,  with  a  mixed  assortment,  manage  dif- 
ferently, as  they  are  obliged  to  move  to  a  tap  one  way,  a  can- 
dle-box in  another,  etc.  Those  who  trade  altogether  in  coffee, 
soap,  fuel,  cloths,  trunks,  pipes,  ink,  saddlery,  tarbousches, 
pistols,  swords,  shoes,  &c.,  remain  as  finn  as  an  oak,  and  sim- 
ply reach  the  particular  thing  that  is  demanded.  They  urge 
no  trade,  waste  no  breath  in  praising  the  quality,  and  re-com- 
mence smoking  when  the  prospect  of  a  bargain  disappears. 
Their  prices  are  generally  high  in  proportion  to  the  quality. 


320  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Hardware  —  such  as  knives,  gimblets,  chisels,  hoes,  &c., 
which  are  approved  by  the  mechanics,  needles,  scissors,  thim- 
bles, &c.,  for  the  females  —  is  of  the  poorest  description,  but 
quite  as  good  for  customers  as  that  of  a  better  quality,  because, 
such  is  the  scarcity  of  money  among  the  people,  they  could  not 
pay  more  than  they  already  do. 

On  what  might  appropriately  be  termed  the  Exchange, 
where  the  wholesaling  is  conducted,  business  is  managed  in 
this  wise.  Grave,  portly,  big-bearded  personages,  with  large 
turbans,  of  variegated  colors,  and  smoking  long  pipes,  with  dig- 
nified moderation,  are  seated  in  the  dry  dust,  —  some  on  mats, 
and  others  on  the  bare  terra  firraa, — with  samples  by  their  sides, 
on  mats.  When  I  have  been  among  them,  there  appeared  to 
be  a  slack  time ;  few  were  buying.  These  observations  apply 
particularly  to  grain-venders,  who,  after  all,  are  the  principal 
merchants,  as  grain  is  the  essential  staple  of  the  country,  and 
the  only  production,  on  a  large  scale,  to  trade  upon,  for  export- 
ation. Egypt  has  been  very  celebrated,  from  the  day  when 
Joseph's  brethren  came  from  Palestine  to  buy  corn,  for  its 
abundant  and  prolific  yield  of  breadstuff's. 

Some  of  the  mounds  of  grain  near  Boulac,  standing  without 
any  covering,  are  truly  enormous.  It  is  not  hazarding  too 
much  to  assume  that  five  thousand  bushels  may  be  in  one  of 
those  heaps.  Up  at  Old  Cairo,  and  at  the  ferry  of  Geezeh,  on 
the  pyramid  side  of  the  Nile,  the  piles  of  millet,  beans,  wheat, 
and  other  grains,  are  amazing  for  magnitude.  Those  of  the 
largest  grade  belong  to  the  government,  collected,  on  the 
monopoly  system,  from  the  farmers ;  but  the  batches  under  the 
keeping  of  individuals  are  in  the  line  of  legitimate  trade.  If 
all  the  merchants  on  'Change,  in  Boston  or  New  York,  at  the 
usual  hour  of  assembling,  were  seated,  helter  skelter,  on  the 
pavements,  dressed  with  scarfs  round  their  heads,  instead  of 


LAWS.  321 

steeple  hats,  and  amber  pipe-stems  in  their  mouths,  with  speci- 
mens of  their  magazines  before  them,  on  fire-rugs  and  straw 
matting,  all  silent  as  death,  —  not  a  word  being  articulated, — 
while  the  smoke  of  their  chibouques  rolled  in  graceful  curls  up 
to  the  heavens,  some  conception  might  be  formed  of  the  appear- 
ance which  the  first-class  merchants  make  in  certain  localities 
in  and  about  the  metropolitan  city  of  Egj^pt. 

Brokers  are  too  numerous ;  and  a  rascally  set  of  knaves  and 
oily  villains  they  are.  Exchanging  money  is  a  leading  busi- 
ness, both  in  Cairo  and  Alexandria.  I  have  never  seen  them 
in  any  other  towns.  Usually,  they  have  a  small  niche,  as  it 
were,  —  a  mere  door,  in  the  side  of  a  house,  —  deep  enough  to 
receive  their  iron  or  wooden  safe.  A  small  table,  an  open 
drawer,  or  the  top  of  a  chest,  is  the  counting-room  of  some. 
Scales,  money-tables,  with  all  the  appliances  for  cheating,  in 
the  politest  manner,  whenever  adventurers  get  within  their 
magic  circle,  are  near  at  hand.  Jews  and  Greeks  appear  to 
monopolize  money  affairs  exclusively,  at  Alexandria,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  regular  English  houses,  with  which  com- 
mercial transactions  on  a  large  scale  are  conducted.  In  Cairo, 
the  number  of  persons  sitting  at  money-boxes  quite  takes  a 
stranger  by  surprise.  How  they  can  all  be  supported  is  a  prob- 
lem. 

LAWS. 

The  pasha  is,  nominally,  a  vassal  of  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 
His  will  is  the  law,  let  it  be  ever  so  whimsical  or  unrighteous. 
From  the  vice-regal  throne  down  to  the  people,  there  are  certain 
tribunals  for  the  dispensation  of  justice,  having  cognizance  of 
offences  against  government  and  society,  which  are  orderly,  and 
recognized  as  the  fountains  of  law.  How  or  where  these  courts 
obtained  their  authority,  is  unknown  to  me ;  nor  could  I  satisfy 
myself  when  their  labors  commenced  or  ended,  or  whether  there 


322  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

were  specitic  periods  for  sessions,  or  whether  they  were  perpet- 
ually in  session. 

Cairo,  being  divided  into  eight  wards,  has  a  sheik  over  each, 
residing  within  his  jurisdiction,  who  settles  trifling  misunder- 
standings between  parties,  and  keeps  a  general  oversight  of  the 
inmates  of  each  house. 

The  patriarch  of  the  Copts  oversees  his  particular  sect,  and, 
as  far  as  he  can,  maintains  the  peace. 

Each  trade  and  profession  has  its  sheik,  to  whom  reference 
is  made  in  their  quarrels  and  jealousies.  When  the  influence 
of  these  officers  is  not  sufficient,  then  an  appeal  to  higher 
authority  is  before  them  ;  or,  rather,  the  offenders  are  sent 
there.  Who  commissions  these  several  sheiks,  was  a  question 
not  answered.  It  is  quite  probable  that  they  are  appointed  by 
the  minister  of  the  interior  or  home  department. 

With  all  the  revolutions  Egypt  has  undergone  since  taken 
by  the  Arabs,  it  is  a  little  curious  that  the  system  of  police  gov- 
ernment they  instituted  for  the  control  of  the  demi-savages,  — 
their  own  people,  —  has  not  been  essentially  modified  since. 
"Whoever  has  had  the  supreme  command  has  discovered  that 
the  old  organization  for  towns  and  villages  is  better  than  any 
system  they  could  propose ;  and,  therefore,  few,  if  any,  altera- 
tions were  made,  even  by  Mohammed  Ali. 

The  pasha,  on  coming  into  power,  chooses  men  knovni  for 
their  capacity  and  judgment,  to  constitute  the  council  of  state 
deliberations,  whom  he,  of  course,  sways  as  he  pleases.  They 
would  not  dare  act  contrary  to  his  wishes.  At  the  citadel,  is  a 
court  called  ed  Deewin  el  Khideewee,  where  the  pasha  is  theo- 
retically presiding  in  person,  though  a  deputy  invariably  sits  on 
the  bench.  It  adjudicates  in  cases  where  the  kadi  is  doubtful,  if 
such  can  occur;   and  bribes  turn  the  suit  either  way,  accord 


COURT    OF    THE    KADI.  323 

ing  to  the  quantity  of  money  proffered  for  a  favorable  decision, 
by  the  respective  parties. 

The  court  of  the  kadi  is  a  dignified  appendage  of  the  govern- 
ment in  name  only,  because  the  corruptions  that  are  practised 
in  it  are  notorious.  A  new  kadi  is  appointed  annually,  at 
Constantinople,  who  comes  to  Eg}'pt  a  stranger,  sometimes 
even  without  a  knowledge  of  the  language.  When  the  new 
judge  arrives,  the  old  one  returns.  In  the  single  year,  he  con- 
trives to  provide  for  his  future  necessities. 

The  kadi  is  said  to  buy  the  office.  No  one  cares  whether 
he  knows  anything  of  the  principles  of  law  at  home  or  abroad  ; 
the  only  pre-requisites  being  these,  namely,  the  applicant  must 
be  a  person  of  intelligence,  a  Turk  by  birth,  and  of  a  sect 
termed  Hanafees.  The  court  is  called  the  plaze  of  jvAgment. 
The  kadi  in  Cairo  has  little  or  no  interest  in  his  tribunal, 
beyond  securing  his  fees,  regulated  by  custom,  and  getting  as 
much  more  as  possible ;  for  the  term  of  service  is  short,  and  he 
therefore  cuts  deeply  into  any  and  all  property  within  his  reach. 
A  deputy  transacts  the  principal  business,  while  his  principal 
pockets  the  money. 

Litigants  rely  upon  the  interpreter  to  give  the  right  turn  to 
their  cases ;  and,  of  course,  he,  too,  dips  into  the  passing  dish. 
Through  his  fingers  the  bribes  pass  with  peculiar  facility,  —  he 
translating  precisely  to  suit  his  oaati  interest;  and  no  one 
expects  redress,  if  the  decision  is  against  him. 

A  Christian  is  not  permitted  to  testify  against  a  Moham- 
medan. The  party  losing  the  case  pays  all  the  cost.  Two  per 
cent,  is  the  fee  of  the  kadi,  in  suits  where  real  estate  is  at  stake 
which  is  held  by  individuals  in  the  cities.  In  cases  where  there 
is  no  land,  he  fixes  the  fees  as  he  likes;  and  then  each  officer  of 
the  court  must  have  backshiesh  out  of  the  property  of  the 
unfortunate   fellows  who   get  within   their   grasp.     There  is 


32-i  A    PILGR1.MAGK   TO    EGVPT. 

plenty  of  law,  but  no  justice.  When  both  parties  pay  liberal 
bribes  to  the  court,  each  presuming  the  other  ignorant  of  the 
measures  of  his  opponent,  the  case  is  immensely  prolonged,  till 
their  means  are  sometimes  exliausted,  when  a  decision  is  forth- 
with announced.  Jury  trials  are  unknown.  On  another  page 
I  have  narrated  an  interview  with  the  judge  of  this  great  court, 
and  acknowledged  his  civilities. 

At  Alexandria  I  went,  with  a  dragoman,  to  the  court  equiv- 
alent to  a  common  police  tribunal,  which  was  in  an  old  building 
near  the  ancient  harbor,  having  one  large,  rough  room  on  the 
first  floor,  divided  by  a  partition  rising  a  few  feet  from  the 
floor,  allowing  a  free  view  over  the  whole  apartment.  Within 
one  enclosure  sat  a  cleric,  and  in  the  other,  on  a  wooden  bench, 
a  fine-looking,  intelligent  Turk,  apparently  less  than  forty  years 
of  age.  Near  by,  was  another  divan,  on  which  were  two  large, 
full-faced,  sober,  big-bodied  Turks,  smoking.  The  first  was  a 
military  colonel,  the  acting  judge,  and  the  others  his  advisers. 
On  a  raised  platform  was  the  ox-yoke  machine  for  holding 
offenders  by  the  ankles,  for  inflicting  the  bastinado.  Policemen 
were  in  attendance,  while  overseeing  matters  and  things  in 
general  was  a  very  respectably-dressed,  fair  specimen  of  a  man', 
armed  with  an  immense  raw-hide  whip,  mounted  with  silver 
ferrules,  the  badge  of  authority. 

The  dragoman  went  with  some  reluctance ;  but  1  insisted, 
and  we  entered  together,  while  a  witness  was  testifying.  My 
dress,  probably,  caught  the  attention  of  the  judge,  who  sent  the 
great  man  with  the  whip  to  inquire  what  was  wanted.  Ofiicers, 
witnesses,  and  the  criminal  trembling  before  his  honor,  all  con- 
centrated a  gaze  upon  us.  Through  Moosa,  it  was  simply 
stated  that  my  curiosity  had  prompted  me  to  call  to  witness 
the  processes  of  justice.  All  this  being  translated,  the  judge 
begged  me  to  be  seated,  and  had  something  provided  for  me  to 


VISIT    TO    A    COURT    AT    ALEXANDRIA.  325 

sit  upon.  He  next  asked  from  what  country  I  hailed.  When 
America  was  named,  he  expressed  some  admiration  that  curi- 
osity alone  had  induced  a  person  to  travel  so  far,  I  was  then 
politely  urged  to  put  on  my  hat,  as  everybody  kept  on  their 
tarbousches  and  turbans ;  but  I  told  him  it  was  not  customary 
to  remain  covered,  in  presence  of  a  presiding  magistrate,  in  my 
country,  and  I  felt  bound  to  render  the  same  token  of  respect 
to  those  before  whom  I  then  stood.  This  observation  brought 
forth  a  profound  salaam  from  all  three  of  the  judges.  Reach- 
ing up  overhead,  he  took  from  a  shelf  a  box,  in  which  were  a 
few  cigars.  Examining  one  or  two,  he  selected  a  good  one, 
which  was  sent,  by  the  marshal,  to  me,  while  he  charged  up 
a  pipe  for  himself.  All  this  time,  the  transactions  of  the  court 
were  suspended. 

Directly,  a  policeman  marched  up  with  a  little  tiny  cup  of 
coffee,  in  a  silver  case,  with  another  for  Moosa,  —  thick,  black 
and  strong,  without  sugar  or  milk.  When  that  was  disposed 
of,  and  many  questions  answered, — for  the  judge  manifested 
some  curiosity,  as  well  as  myself,  —  business  was  resumed. 

The  case  before  their  honors  was  this  :  A  man  had  married 
jPnew  wife,  —  a  very  inferior  specimen  of  womanhood  she  was, 
too,  —  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  vast  sum  of  five  hundred 
piastres,  which  she  found  in  the  house,  the  property  of  two  sons 
by  a  former  wife.  All  attempts  to  repossess  himself  of  the  money 
having  failed,  the  husband  entered  a  complaint,  and  had  her 
brought  to  the  bar.  Both  of  them  made  their  tongues  go  like 
a  mill-clack,  as  much  freedom  being  permitted  as  they  could 
have  asked  for,  in  making  a  plea.  After  listening  a  Aviiile,  the 
judge  articulated  a  few  sentences,  and  the  court  was  cleared. 
Moosa  informed  me  that  the  judge  considered  the  affair  of 
sufficient  importance  to  send  it  up  to  the  court  of  the  kadi. 

Subsequently,  it  occurred  to  me  to  inquire  of  Moosa  how  the 
28 


326  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

woman  would  be  punished,  in  the  event  of  losing  the  case. 
"  Why,"  said  he,  "  de  judge  vill  shut  her  up  in  de  room,  and 
squeeze  her,  and  by  and  by  de  money  come."  But,  if  she  has 
spent  or  squandered  it  away,  how  will  squeezing  bring  it  back  ? 
again  was  a  question.  It  was  explained  in  this  way  :  that,  as 
females  were  not  punished  by  blows,  as  men  were,  by  imprison- 
ing her,  some  one  of  her  relations,  or  several  of  them,  would 
club  together  and  raise  the  money  for  her  liberation.  The 
confinement,  therefore,  was  rendered  squeezing,  in  English. 

Capital  punishment,  from  all  I  could  learn,  is  abolished  in 
Egypt.  Females  are,  unquestionably,  destroyed,  occasionally, 
by  those  who  control  their  destiny  as  property ;  but  the  pasha, 
I  was  assured,  has  not  permitted  a  man  to  be  put  to  death  since 
he  came  into  office.  Just  before  the  arrival  of  his  mother  at 
the  place  where  the  pilgrims  assemble  in  the  desert,  to  arrange 
for  an  impressive  entrance  into  the  city,  it  was  reported  that 
the  great  lady  witnessed  some  misconduct  in  an  officer  of  her 
retinue,  which  cost  him  his  life,  without  ceremony. 

Those  convicted  of  atrocious  crimes  —  which,  to  the  honor 
of  the  country,  are  very  few  —  are  sent  to  the  gold  mines,  on 
the  White  Nile,  —  a  locality  not  well  defined,  where  they  rareiy 
live  more  than  a  year.  Murder  is  seldom  committed;  but 
when  there  is  a  conviction,  the  prisoner,  with  his  whole  family, 
are  positively  exiled,  without  the  hope  of  mercy. 

Just  at  daylight,  one  morning,  the  confusion  in  the  consular 
square,  near  my  window,  was  so  uncommon  as  to  induce  me  to 
dress  and  go  out.  It  turned  out  that  a  Maltese  sailor  had 
assassiriated  a  man.  On  the  way  to  the  lock-up,  —  having 
previously  been  at  the  door  of  the  British  consul,  —  he  attempted 
to  escape,  but  unsuccessfully.  The  crowd  hoped  he  would  be 
immediately  taken  away,  for  they  wanted  no  murderers  in 
Egypt. 


CRmES.  327 

The  government  takes  no  notice  of  the  crimes  of  foreigners, 
except  to  apprehend  criminals,  and  pass  them  over  to  the  repre- 
sentatives of  their  government. 

There  are  no  drunkards  in  Egypt  among  the  native  inhab- 
itants. None  but  foreigners,  from  Christian  nations,  are  ever 
intoxicated.  It  is  a  vice  which  a  Moslem  despises  and  loathes. 
Many  crimes  which  disgrace  humanity  in  civilized  commu- 
nities, and  keep  police  courts  and  higher  tribunals,  even  in 
our  own  country,  fully  occupied,  are  unknown  among  Moham- 
medans. These  people  certainly  commit  crimes  against  their 
own  laws ;  but  they  are  very  different,  in  their  general  char- 
acter, from  those  with  which  we  are  most  familiar,  and  it  is 
susceptible  of  demonstration  that  more  crimes  against  the  peace 
and  dignity  of  the  commonwealth  are  committed,  in  a  single 
week,  in  any  of  the  cities  of  the  United  States  or  Great  Brit- 
ain, among  a  given  number  of  inhabitants,  than  in  all  Egypt  in 
a  month. 

Hardly  any  crime  can  be  mentioned  which  is  not  punished 
by  the  bastinado,  on  conviction ;  and  a  horrible  punishment 
it  is.  The  moment  the  judge  decides  that  the  offence  of  the 
accused  is  to  be  expiated  by  blows,  the  criminal  is  thrown 
upon  his  face,  in  the  court-room,  and  fastened  in  a  machine 
which  confines  him  in  that  position,  with  the  soles  of  his  feet 
turned  up,  and  kept  so ;  or  he  is  held  down  by  the  servants  of 
the  court,  his  feet  drawn  by  cords  run  through  a  wooden  bar, 
and  then  the  blows  are  applied  by  two  men,  either  side,  each 
with  a  horrible  whip,  made  of  the  raw  hide  of  the  hippopot- 
amus, rolled  into  a  round  form,  who  cut  on,  alternately,  with- 
out mercy. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  sense  of  compassion  for  the  physica!^ 
sufferings  of  others  is  unknown  to  Egyptian  tribunals ;  for  the 
corporal  punishments  inflicted  are  shocking  to  humanity,  and 


328  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

beyond  the  conception  of  Christian  communities.  Slussia  alone 
rivals,  if  it  does  not  surpass,  by  the  loiout,  the  atrocious  pun- 
ishment by  the  courbash. 

Bastinadoing  for  non-paj^ment  of  government  dues  is  bar- 
barous, but,  nevertheless,  pursued,  till  the  taxes  are  liquidated. 
Some  relative  finally  comes  to  the  rescue  of  the  delinquent,  if 
he  has  no  secreted  means  to  fall  back  upon,  in  the  last  extrem- 
ity. Of  the  army  or  naval  punishments  I  have  collected  no 
illustrations.  In  fact,  the  inquiry  was  too  painful,  and  the 
matter  was  dropped  altogether.  If  they  are  cruel  and  without 
mercy  at  the  civil  tribunals,  the  system  of  flagellation  in  the 
camp  and  on  shipboard  must  be  hellish.  I  have  been  told  of 
severity  of  discipline,  under  Ibrahim  Pasha,  the  relation  of 
which  made  one's  blood  boil. 

This  disposition  to  fly  to  the  whip,  under  all  circumstances 
where  order  is  to  be  enforced,  is  a  marked  trait  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Egyptians.  Whoever  is  in  authority  seeks  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  it  by  a  blow. 

An  addition  to  the  palace  of  the  mother  of  the  pasha  was 
going  up,  not  far  from  the  main  residence  of  the  Franks ;  and 
it  was  one  of  my  morning  recreations  to  take  a  position  under 
a  shade  tree,  and  watch  the  mechanical  processes.  The  part 
that  was  being  erected  was  of  stone,  every  block  of  which  was 
obtained  from  the  ruins  of  some  previous  edifice.  Camels 
were  constantly  arriving  with  them,  and  emptying  the  rope- 
nets  of  their  contents,  near  where  they  were  to  be  used. 
There  was  a  mortar-bed,  in  which  the  lime  and  sand  were 
mixed  by  the  hands  of  women.  Men  brought  the  water,  in 
skins,  on  their  backs.  A  legion  of  small  boys  and  girls,  with 
trays  holding  a  few  quarts,  came  to  the  mortar-bed,  filled  them, 
and  marched  off  with  them  on  their  heads,  winding  up  the 
planks,  to  the  top  of  the  rising  wall.     When  they  emptied  out 


PAREKTAL    LOVE.  329 

the  contents,  the  mason  plumped  a  stone  into  it,  and  thus  there 
was  a  constant  falling  mass  of  mortar.  All  these  movements 
of  the  children  were  regulated  by  watchmen,  with  sticks  or 
whips,  who  thrashed  their  backs  unmercifully,  if  the  slightest 
deviation  from  the  prescribed  course  were  observed. 

For  some  misdemeanor,  one  of  the  boys,  one  morning,  was 
marched  off  for  the  police  court.  I  followed,  as  long  as  my 
outraged  sympathies  would  permit,  to  ascertain  what  he  had 
been  doing,  and  the  result  of  the  investigation.  Such  harsh- 
ness and  severity  as  the  policemen  meted  out  to  the  poor,  help- 
less child  distressed  me  beyond  endurance,  without  the  possi- 
bility of  pleading  in  his  behalf.  He  struggled  with  the  strength 
of  an  infant  giant,  as  though  he  knew  that  the  tortures  of  the 
damned  awaited  him.  A  group  of  women  kept  near  him,  one 
of  whom,  from  the  earnestness  of  her  manner,  was  supposed 
to  be  the  mother  of  the  juvenile  culprit.  She  even  neglected 
to  keep  her  veil  adjusted,  and  repeatedly  exposed  her  agonized 
face.  Other  females  collected,  and  evinced  a  degree  of  feeling 
that  was  honorable  to  the  sex ;  while  men  and  soldiers,  and 
idling  lads,  appeared  perfectly  indifferent  to  the  painful  scene 
that  was  passing. 

Parental  love  is  the  same  in  every  bosom,  and  in  every 
country.  The  caresses  bestowed  by  the  lowest  gradation  of 
Arabs,  in  a  mud  hut,  on  their  children,  are  as  pure  and  cordial 
as  the  tenderest  exhibitions  in  a  Christian  family.  A  mother 
is  always  true  to  the  instincts  of  her  nature.  She  cherishes 
and  defends  her  child,  and  death  alone  can  limit  the  extent  of 
her  efforts.  It  was  a  gratification  to  find  one  condition  of  life, 
in  this  old  theatre  of  humanity,  in  which  kindness  was  a  spon- 
taneous product  of  the  heart. 


330  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGrPT. 

RELIGION. 

Mohammedanism,  like  Mormonism,  permits  and  regulates 
indulgences  in  a  way  to  satisfy  the  deceived  believer  that  he  is 
piously  doing  his  duty,  while  gratifying  the  selfish  and  low 
propensities  of  his  nature.  No  wonder  that  a  system  that  gives 
license  for  trampling  on  the  rights  of  others,  if  they  interfere 
with  the  ample  provisions  made  by  their  prophet,  rouses  both 
individual  and  national  anger. 

They  are  the  most  tolerant  people  on  earth,  and  permit 
others  to  worship  God  as  they  choose,  so  long  as  no  attempt  is 
made  to  proselyte  or  seduce  the  followers  of  the  Mohammedan 
faith  from  the  homage  due  to  their  great  spiritual  guide. 
Although  there  are  some  who  have  the  reputation  of  being 
more  orthodox  than  others,  and  who  have  made  further  advances 
and  exhibit  purer  lives  than  ordinary  worshippers,  there  seems 
to  be  no  division  of  sentiment  among  them  in  respect  to  the 
unalienable  rights  of  men  to  deprive  the  other  sex  of  every 
social  and  political  privilege.  There  can  be  no  progress  where 
woman  is  degraded,  and  exercises  no  influence  in  moulding 
and  refining  the  character  of  society.  On  no  subject  are  Mo- 
hammedans so  sensitive  as  on  that  of  religion.  The  conceived 
infraction  of  a  single  law  that  emanates  from  the  Koran  rouses 
them  to  fury;  and  the  first  thought  is,  to  slaughter  those  who 
have  dared  to  frown  or  ridicule  upon  the  sacred  institutions  of 
Moslemism.  Satisfied  that  they  possess  the  only  revelation 
which  indicates  the  road  to  heaven, — and  the  doctrine  being 
taught  by  authority,  and  enforced,  too,  when  necessary,  by  the 
sword,  —  neither  ambition  nor  curiosity  prompts  even  the  most 
learned  among  them  to  investigate  the  claims  of  Jew  or  Gen- 
tile ;  but  they  hate  them  both,  without  being  able  to  assign  a 
satisfactory  reason.     Their  rode  of  morals  is  strictly  obsen^ed ; 


EELIGION. 


331 


but  what  is  Mohammedan  virtue,  in  the  estimation  of  a  pro- 
fessor of  Christianity  ?  They  admit  that  our  Saviour  was  a 
divine  personage,  —  a  messenger  from  God,  —  but  inferior,  in 
dignity  and  power,  to  Mohammed.  Taught  to  despise  all  who 
differ  from  themselves  in  religious  opinions,  what  can  they 
know  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  our  faith  ?  They  neither 
know  nor  care  about  the  intellectuality  of  religion ;  nor  can 
they  comprehend,  they  say,  the  philosophy  of  making  one's 
self  miserable  on  earth  to  gain  a  heaven  hereafter.     This  idea 


POSTCRia   OF   PRATES. 


of  individual  wretchedness  is  probably  based  on  observations 
made  upon  the  appearance  and  habits  of  Catholic  monks,  of 
various  orders,  established  in  convents  all  over  the  East. 

Eeasoning  from  what  they  see,  they  ver}'  naturally  conclude 
that  a  rational  being  who  goes  bare-footed,  when  he  might 
wear  shoes,  —  who  cords  his  body  with  a  rope,  night  and  day, 


66Z  A   PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 

—  who  begs,  when  he  could  earn  his  bread,  —  is  a  fool.  They 
refer,  also,  to  nominal  Christians,  who  are  in  readiness  to  do 
things,  where  they  imagine  themselves  unloiown,  which  they 
would  scorn  to  do  at  home.  Mussulmans  prefer  a  faith  that 
offers  to  their  benighted  minds  more  happiness  in  this  life,  and 
the  expectation  of  greater  felicity  in  the  world  to  which  they 
are  destined. 

The  Egyptian  adults  do  not  appear  remarkably  affectionate 
towards  each  other,  of  the  same  family.  All  the  usual  courte- 
sies of  life  are  observed  with  a  degree  of  solemnity  that  leads 
to  a  suspicion  that  their  salaams  are  without  a  particle  of  sin- 
cerity. Towards  the  domestic  animals  they  are  particularly 
kind,  and  especially  to  those  that  hover  about  their  habita- 
tions. They  are  patient,  slow  to  anger,  and  exceedingly 
benevolent  in  calling  down  blessings. 

Horses,  camels,  sheep,  goats  and  birds,  that  flee  from  Euro- 
peans, in  deadly  fear,  stand  in  no  apprehension  of  the  approach 
of  the  Arab  peasantry.  Timid  little  birds,  pigeons,  wild  fowl, 
or  predacious  eagles,  scarcely  move  out  of  their  way.  This 
shows  that  generations,  from  a  remote  epoch,  have  been  so 
tenderly  treated  that  the  instinct  of  fear  is  nearly  obliterated. 
Wild  geese  are  no  exception ;  and  they  abound  on  the  Nile, 
through  the  winter,  beyond  computation.  They  arrive,  it  is 
conjectured,  periodically,  to  avoid  the  severity  of  northern 
winters. 

In  Alexandria  there  is  a  small  Episcopal  society,  maintained 
by  British  residents.  Nine  persons  only  were  present  on  one 
occasion,  when  I  attended  service ;  and,  a  second  time,  a  still 
smaller  number.  The  Roman  Catholics  have  a  fine  edifice, 
with  a  large  walled  enclosure,  chiefly  sustained  by  the  Italians. 
A  new  building,  of  a  soft,  light,  yellow  sandstone,  from  Malta, 


^rF.X   OF    Tlir:    middle    and    IHGHEI!    classes     Page: 


DOMESTIC    HABITS.  335 

for  the  Episcopiil  church,  is  well    located,  on   the  consular 
square,  and  will,  no  doubt,  soon  be  completed. 

In  Upper  Egj-pt,  mention  is  made,  in  the  diarj',  of  a  con- 
vent of  Greeks,  and  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel.  Egypt  is  a 
clear  field  for  missionaries,  who  would  not  be  molested  in  their 
efibrts  among  the  Jews,  though  it  would  be  dangerous  to  med- 
dle with  the  JMoslem  believers. 

DOMESTIC   HABITS  AND  ECONO:\IY. 

The  garments  of  the  Arabs  give  them  a  fine  appearance, 
since  tl;ey  fit  every  one,  no  matter  what  his  height,  size,  or 
age.  They  look  elegant  and  dignified,  when  well  dressed. 
A  Greek  costume,  which  is  pretty  generally  worn  by  the 
Turks,  who  ape  foreign  fashions,  will  not  compare  with  the 
other,  for  it  imparts  no  princely  character  to  the  wearer.  All 
the  officers  of  the  army  and  civil  service  have  the  French  fash- 
ion of  pantaloons  and  frock-coat ;  but  still  retain  the  red  cap, 
with  a  blue  silk  tassel.  A  shirt,  in  the  country,  is  an  unknown 
article ;  and  but  few  in  the  cities  ever  possessed  one.  Collars, 
cravats,  plaited  bosoms,  ruffles  and  wristbands,  are  unrecog- 
nized embarrassments.  A  majority  sleep  at  night  in  the 
clothes  worn  through  the  day. 

Beds  are  unknown,  except  in  the  three  hotels  which  have 
been  created  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers,  and  in  the 
houses  of  foreigners.  In  the  dwellings  of  the  opulent,  the 
family  repose  on  piles  of  soft  cushions,  thrown  on  a  slightly- 
raised  platform,  round  the  sides  of  the  room.  Throughout  the 
rural  districts,  a  straw  mat,  on  the  mud  floor,  answers  the 
same  purpose. 

How  ladies  dress,  in  the  harems  of  the  great  men,  is  only 
known  to  their  proprietors,  and  those  few  favored  females  who 
are     permitted  to  have  access  to  them.     Other  women    sel- 


336 


A    PiLGra.MAGE   TO    EGYPT. 


dom  wear  more  than  two  articles  of  dress :  namely,  a  long, 
loose  blue  frock,  with  bag  sleeves,  open  in  front  to  the  waist, 
and  an  apology  for  a  veil,  with  which  they  hide  their  faces. 

Standing  by  a  blazing  brush  fire,  just  lighted,  in  the  desert, 
where  we  had  encamped,  one  of  the  camel-drivers  made  some 
inquiry  about  my  pantaloons.  He  said  he  could  not  endure  to 
be  confined  in  two  bags;  and,  holding  up  his  frock,  to  take  the 
full  influence  of  the  heat,  intmiated  that  I  had  no  such  comfort 
as  he  was  enjoying. 

The  custom  of  concealing  the  face,  by  females,  is  universal ; 
a  peep-hole,  however,  for  one  eye,  —  frightfully  bedaubed  with 
kohol,  antimony,  or  some  other  blue  paint,  —  to  survey  the  outer 
world,  is  allowed.     With  one  hand  the  cloth  is  held  together. 


■WASHING,   BEFORE   OR    AFTER    MEALS. 


in  folds,  to  hide  their  features,  and  with  the  other  they  steady 
burdens  on  their  heads,  or  hold  a  child  by  the  legs,  sitting  on 
one  of  their  shoulders.     Their  little  children  are  a  nuisance, 


WOMEN    AXI)  C'lllI.DREX  OF  THE  LOWER  CLASSES.    Page  3.V.. 


DOMESTIC   HABITS. 


339 


they  are  so  very  offensive,  from  the  soreness  of  their  eyes,  the 
dirty  state  of  their  skin,  and  their  shorn  heads.  It  is  an  import- 
ant consideration  with  them  to  keep  off  the  evil  eye,  —  an 
emanation  from  a  Christian,  or  any  other  unholy,  uncircum- 
cised  dog,  who  may  look  on  their  offspring,  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  throwing  a  curse. 

A  table  ceremony  is  much  the  same  in  all  families,  vv'here  it 
is  well  regulated ;  for  there  no  female  sits  with  her  husband  or 
sons.     There  being  neither  knives  nor  forks,  spoons  nor  pick- 


PABTT   AT   DISSER. 


ers,  the  frequent  use  of  the  fingers  requires  much  washing  of 
the  hands. 

The  position  on  the  floor,  to  me,  was  prodigiously  uncom- 


340  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 

fortable,  —  the  table  being  both  too  low,  and  the  food  too  hot ; 
which  made  the  sitting  till  all  the  dishes  had  been  tasted 
extremely  irksome. 

In  Cairo  and  Alexandria,  ladles  are  met  taking  an  airing,  on 
asses,  preceded  by  a  runner,  cracking  a  whip  to  clear  the  way. 
A  slave  goes  by  their  side,  to  steady  them  in  case  of  accident, 
followed  by  a  formidable  coal-black  eunuch,  the  guardian-angel 
of  female  respectability  and  virtue  wherever  Mohammedanism 
prevails.  A  strange  part  of  these  veiled  exhibitions,  to  us 
outside  barbarians,  was  this,  namely,  that  the  females  invariably 
sit  astride  the  animal  on  the  saddle,  with  both  feet  firmly  set  in 
the  stirrups,  while  their  bodies,  on  these  occasions,  are  envel- 
oped in  large  black  silk  cloaks,  which  inflate  with  the  wind,  and 
give  them  a  ludicrous  aspect. 

I  have  collected  some  startling  facts  in  regard  to  the  traffic 
in  that  most  unfortunate  of  men,  the  Ethiopian  eunuchs,  who, 
at  this  day,  as  in  every  age,  beyond  the  reach  of  history,  have 
been  in  request  in  Egypt,  and  throughout  the  orient.  The 
destruction  of  human  life  is  deplorable,  in  preparing  the  poor 
stolen  boys,  to  fit  them  for  the  functions  they  are  to  perform, 
when  grown  to  an  adult  stature,  in  the  harems  of  those  who 
are  able  to  purchase  them  of  the  slave-dealers. 

Nearly  all  the  eunuchs  who  are  brought  to  market  are  from 
the  interior  of  Africa,  and  are  brought  down  the  Nile.  For 
some  years,  the  Coptish  priests  in  Abyssinia  were  accused  of 
being  the  operators.  Not  more  than  twenty  in  a  hundred  are 
represented  to  survive  the  cruel  maiming.  For  this  reason,  the 
price  is  always  so  high  that  only  persons  of  wealth  can  afford  to 
purchase  them. 

Several  well-informed  gentlemen  assured  me  that  the  loss  of 
life  had  been  less  under  the  improved  system  that  was  now 
employed.     Instead  of  ignorant  priests,  two  French  surgeons, 


EUNUCHS.  341 

of  abandoned  character,  are  residing  at  a  place  somewhere  in 
Dongola,  for  the  express  purpose  of  making  eunuchs  for  the 
Egyptian  and  Turkish  markets.  Their  murderous  cruelty, 
which  consigns  hundreds  to  the  grave  in  the  very  spring-tide 
of  life,  should  be  brought  to  an  end,  if  it  is  possible  for  Chris- 
tian or  political  influences  to  reach  them.  I  find  it  difHcult  to 
explain  myself  intelligibly  on  this  subject.  The  maiming  is  not 
what  most  v^rriters,  especially  medical  commentators,  suppose. 
That  would  not  endanger  life  to  the  extent  represented.  The 
maiming  is  an  utter  excision  and  removal  of  every  vestige  that 
characterizes  the  boy  from  the  other  sex.  They  die  of  exces- 
sive haemorrhage,  before  the  arteries  can  be  secured,  especially 
when  they  fall  under  the  worse  than  barbarian  murderers  who 
are  ignorant  of  their  anatomical  organization. 

No  people  are  proverbially  so  honest  and  trustworthy,  stable- 
minded,  abstemious,  and  moral,  in  the  system  to  which  they 
have  been  trained,  as  the  Egyptians.  Their  Koran, —  the  pro- 
phetic guide,  in  which  they  have  an  unshaken  confidence, — 
and  their  wise  men,  have  marked  out  a  chart  of  social,  religious 
and  political  duties,  the  observance  of  which  is  essential  to 
purity  of  life.  There  are  neither  almshouse,  penitentiaries, 
state  prisons,  poor  rates,  nor  a  tax  for  the  maintenance  of  a 
priesthood.  They  have  cherished  institutions,  to  which  they 
cling  with  tenacity. 

With  this  view  of  the  organization  of  society,  and  the  feeling 
that  pervades  all  orders  of  minds,  what  could  a  missionary 
accomplish,  till  he  first  overturned,  and  broke  up,  and  blotted 
out  of  remembrance,  whatever  is  vitally  at  war  with  the  first 
principles  of  the  Christian  code  ?  He  must  first  destroy  insti- 
tutions that  were  as  firmly  established  in  Egypt  and  Palestine 
as  they  now  are,  before  Abraham  sojourned  in  the  Holy  Land. 


342  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

This  prepares  the  way  for  some  remarks  on  the  following 
subjects : 

MARRLVGE  AND   POLYGAIWY. 

If  polygamy  runs  riot  anjavliere,  it  is  in  Egypt ;  for  it  seems 
to  be  the  ambition  of  every  man,  as  in  Turkey,  to  have  a  grand 
domestic  establishment,  because  it  is  the  appendage  of  a  gentle- 
man, and  an  indication  of  position  and  respectability.  In  every 
condition,  among  poor  or  rich,  a  prominent  desire  is  to  have  a 
very  numerous  family  of  children.  It  is  a  predominant  national 
trait,  influencing,  alike,  both  sexes.  No  one  ever  had  too 
many,  or  relinquished  the  delightful  anticipation  of  having 
more. 

There  are  two  places,  in  Upper  Egypt,  famed  for  conferring 
on  females  the  extent  of  their  wishes,  —  to  become  mothers. 
They  are  both  stones,  —  perhaps  old  door-steps,  —  over  which 
they  step  or  stand,  uttering  invocations,  probably,  to  the  prophet; 
and,  such  is  their  reputation,  that  women  make  long  journeys 
to  them.  Dr.  Abbott,  of  Cairo,  informed  me  that  he  had 
some  mummies  stowed  in  an  out-of-the-way  building,  enclosed 
by  a  yard,  into  which  he  one  day  entered,  where,  to  his  sur- 
prise, were  a  large  number  of  women  and  girls,  some  quite 
juvenile,  who,  being  alarmed,  flew  away  as  fast  as  they  could 
scamper,  but  finally  returned  to  explain  themselves.  They 
had  heard  that,  by  jumping  over  a  mummy  twelve  times,  they 
should  be  fruitful ;  and  thus  the  rabble,  young  and  old,  had 
been  running  for  luck  over  those  dried  remains  of  humanity. 

This  whim  seems  to  haA^e  been  universally  diffused  through 
the  east ;  and  even  the  females  of  Athens,  in  the  glory  of 
Greece,  used  to  slide  down  a  certain  rock,  near  the  Arceopagus, 
to  obtain  the  same  favor  of  the  gods. 

The  lady  of  the  house  in  which  we  resided,  in  Alexandria, 


POLYGA.MY.  343 

told  me  that  her  cook,  a  young  man,  had  three  wives.  In  reply- 
to  the  question  how  he  could  possibly  support  them,  with  their 
increasing  stock  of  children,  she  said  that  he  did  nothincr  for 
them.  He  expended  his  wages  to  suit  himself;  and  they  con- 
trived to  subsist,  in  small  huts,  at  a  remote  part  of  the  town,  as 
they  could. 

While  in  the  desert,  in  the  course  of  an  evening  chat  over 
the  expiring  embers  under  which  a  millet-cake  was  baking,  one 
of  the  circle  —  who  was  evidently  a  man  of  consequence  in  the 
caravan  to  which  he  belonged,  and  who  was  listened  to  w^ith  a 
respectful  attention  by  those  in  his  company  —  asked  where  1 
came  from.  It  was  extremely  difficult  to  make  him  comprehend 
that  my  country  was  over  a  great  ocean,  beyond  England.  He 
next  inquired  the  name  of  the  pasha  wdio  governed  it.  I  then 
explained  —  very  imperfectly,  however  —  the  principles  of  our 
constitution,  and  told  him  that  the  people  made  and  unmade 
all  the  high  and  low  pashas,  and  turned  them  out  of  office,  if 
they  abused  their  power. 

This  was  altogether  marvellous  political  intelligence  ;  for  he, 
for  the  first  time,  to  my  apprehension,  heard  of  a  republic. 
Possibly  a  seed  was  sown,  that  may  germinate  at  a  future  day, 
and  spread  its  branches  through  S3'ria.  Finally,  I  came  directly 
to  the  point,  and  assured  my  attentive,  big-turbaned  acquaint- 
ance, that  America  was  a  land  of  freedom.  This  made  his 
eyes  sparkle,  and  he  puffed  longer  whifls  of  smoke.  "When  the 
account  was  concluded,  he  asked  if  it  w^as  a  good  country  to 
procure  wives  in  !  Being  taken  by  surprise  by  this  question,  I 
took  an  extreme  case,  where  a  gentleman  fell  upon  his  marrow- 
bones, and  besought  the  object  of  his  adoration  to  have  mercy 
upon  him;  and,  to  keep  him  from  hanging  himself,  the  lady, 
after  sufficiently  humbling  her  suppliant,  sometimes  consented 
to  become  his  wife.     This  was  an  unexpected  process,  and  a 


344  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

perfect  stumbling-block;  for  be  could  not  comprehend  how 
females  should  be  permitted  to  exercise  either  a  free  will  or 
express  a  choice.  On  the  whole,  he  remarked,  after  a  little 
reflection,  he  did  not  think  much  of  our  system.  He  then  went 
on  to  say  that  Syria  was  a  bad  country  for  wives,  —  his  success 
in  that  way  had  been  far  from  satisfactory.  He  had  recently 
divorced  four,  and  was  now  trying  four  new  ones ;  and.  with  a 
sort  of  sigh,  further  observed,  that,  among  them  all,  he  had  but 
just  six  children  !  I  then  asked  him  how  he  could  support  so 
many  women,  with  their  children,  in  this  poor,  oppressed,  sandy 
region  ?  "  0,"  said  he,  rolling  his  eyes  up  devotionally  towards 
the  heaven,  "  God  is  great  I "  —  "  Sir,"  I  observed,  rather  incau- 
tiously, no  doubt,  "  were  you  in  America,  they  would  string 
you  up  by  the  neck,  for  it  is  a  crime  there  to  have  more  than 
one  wife  at  a  time."  —  "Then  I  don't  think  much  of  the  lib- 
erty of  which  you  have  boasted,"  he  quickly  replied. 

One  of  his  camel-drivers  —  a  mere  lad  —  said  that  he  had 
only  one  wife  yet ;  but  she  had  a  bint,  —  that  is,  a  little  girl,  — 
and  he  was,  therefore,  satisfied,  for  the  present,  with  his  good 
fortune.  This  brought  an  observation  from  another  Arab, 
Hassein,  —  a  snakey,  black-eyed,  copper-colored  fellow,  full  of 
activity  and  good  nature,  —  who  exultingly  declared  he  had 
three  ! 

In  the  same  caravan  was  a  miserable  dirty  being,  with  two 
boys  and  a  girl,  whom  he  abused  outrageously,  —  kicking,  and 
thrashing  them  with  a  short  pipe-stick,  as  though  their  heads 
were  kettle-drums.  I  felt  compassionately  towards  the  poor, 
abused  girl,  with  all  her  present  and  growing  troubles  incident 
to  the  position  of  females  in  that  country ;  for  she  had  club-feet, 
—  the  first  and  only  malformation  of  the  limbs  I  saw  in  the 
desert.  The  old  scoundrel  used  to  intimate  that  he  was  starv- 
ing, when  a  little  hard  bread  was  given  to  the  children,  by  way 


UNCERTAIN    TilNCIlK   Oli"    MAKRIACiE.  345 

of  getting  a  crumb  for  himself.  While  trudging  along  by  my 
camel's  side,  I  inquired  where  he  was  travelling.  He  said  he 
was  intending  to  go  to  Musr,  for  he  heard  it  was  a  good  place 
to  procure  a  wife. 

Life  in  the  desert,  with  the  opportunities  presented  for  gather- 
ing information  of  this  kind,  would  hardly  find  credence  among 
Christians,  and  I  shall  not,  therefore,  relate  anything  further 
of  this  character,  since  the  foregoing  are  sufficient  to  illustrate 
the  customs  and  present  condition  of  society  vvith  one  class  of 
inhabitants. 

Wives  so  unfortunate  as  not  to  become  mothers,  by  general 
consent,  hold  the  affections  of  their  husbands  by  an  uncertain 
tenure.  Divorces,  from  that  cause,  are  so  common,  as  to  create 
but  little  or  no  surprise  where  they  occur.  Other  causes  happen 
to  promote  the  infelicity  of  the  parties,  which  cannot  very  well 
be  explained.  A  person  assured  me  he  had  known  a  man  to 
have  four  wives,  —  the  legalized  number  permitted  by  the 
Koran,  —  and  divorce  all  of  them  in  the  course  of  twelve 
months.  And  why  was  he  so  fickle-minded  ?  was  a  question 
asked  before  I  was  aware  of  it.  "  Cause  he  try  and  no  like 
^ein,^''  was  the  speedy  answer. 

All  Egypt  is  full  of  divorced  women.  In  obtaining  a  wife, 
the  adventurer  literally  searches,  with  one  hand,  in  a  bag  of 
serpents,  for  a  single  eel ;  for  he  never  sees  her  till  after  mar- 
riage. Those  wives  who  have  sons  —  according  to  the  inform- 
ation derived  from  those  who  must  know  the  whole  structure 
of  the  social  relations  —  possess  almost  unlimited  authority  in 
the  household.  Notwithstanding  the  prodigious  number  of 
females  of  the  upper  classes  shut  up  in'  harems,  there  is  cer- 
tainly a  redundancy  of  female  population  throughout  Egypt,  as 
statistical  tables  show  there  is  in  the  whole  of  Europe. 

According  to  some  writers  on  the  manners  and  customs  of 


346  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

the  Egyptians,  polygamy  is  not  so  common  in  the  higher 
walks  of  life  as  has  been  represented.  Those  who  are  most 
familiar  with  the  organization  of  society  explain  the  matter 
thus  :  A  gentleman  finds  it  too  expensive  to  support  a  numer- 
ous harem,  in  which  there  is  a  full  complement  of  four  wives, 
with  their  necessary  attendants ;  and  he  therefore  concentrates 
his  attention  upon  one,  who  is  provided  with  a  retinue  of 
female  slaves,  —  the  property  of  the  husband,  —  who  become 
mothers  of  many  children.  In  that  relation  they  are  more 
economically  supported. 

In  the  interior  of  the  country,  among  the  fellahs,  it  is  very 
certain  as  many  avail  themselves  of  the  constitutional  number 
of  four  wives  as  can  maintain  them.  They,  on  the  other  hand, 
have  no  female  slaves  in  the  same  anomalous  position  of  the 
female  slaves  of  a  rich  man's  household. 

An  impression  is  abroad  that  the  population  is  decreasing  in 
Egypt.  On  the  contrary,  we  believe  that,  since  the  termination 
of  the  wars  in  which  the  late  viceroy  and  his  son  were  actively 
engaged,  an  increase  has  taken  place,  which  will  shortly  be 
perceptible.  The  government  takes  no  census,  and  strives  to 
conceal  both  the  number  of  inhabitants  and  the  resources  of 
agriculture. 

A  family  of  brothers  occasionally  present  the  singular  anom- 
aly of  being  of  all  shades  of  color,  from  white  to  black.  Chil- 
dren of  wealthy  fathers,  however,  are  usually  better  looking 
and  lighter  in  complexion  than  the  indigent,  on  account  of 
the  fair  skins  of  their  Circassian  and  other  imported  mothers. 
All  the  Turks  in  Egypt  —  constituting  the  highest  class,  as  in 
Turkey  —  are  really  only  half-blooded;  and,  in  consequence  of 
this  mixture  of  races,  they  are  among  the  handsomest  of  men, 
in  their  physical  development,  on  the  globe ;  and,  while  their 
custom  of  purchasing  wives  distinguished  alone  for  their  beauty 


THE   HAREM.  347 

continues,  they  Avill  be  further  improved  ia  that  respect.  The 
pure,  unadulterated  Arabs,  as  far  as  my  examinations  extended, 
are  very  dark,  swarthy  and  straight-haired,  with  a  light  beard. 
Where  there  is  a  heavy,  bushy  beard  and  whiskers,  it  is  very 
certain  that  this  graceful  appendage,  the  jewel  of  their  pride, 
is  due  to  the  circulation  of  northern  blood  in  their  veins, 

European  ladies  visiting  Egypt  omit  no  opportunities  of  vis- 
iting harems ;  and  some  of  them  are  extremely  enthusiastic  in 
their  descriptions  of  the  elegances  they  have  seen,  and  the 
sweet  infants  they  kissed.  They  have  been  known,  also,  to 
become  eloquent  against  the  abomination  of  boxing  up  such 
specimens  of  unsurpassed  beauty  and  female  loveliness.  Not- 
withstanding the  severity  of  their  denunciations  against  the 
wicked  Turks,  declaring  their  conduct  shameful,  and  pronounc- 
ing their  monopolizing  spirit  a  just  cause  for  immediate  hostil- 
ities, some  commentators  have  been  so  ungenerous  as  to  suggest 
that  many  of  those  very  indignant  spinsters  would  not  refuse 
the  position  of  first  lady  of  the  mansion,  if  earnestly  besought. 

It  is  well  known  that  Mrs.  M ,  the  wife  of  Dr.  M ,  of 

Constantinople,  an  English  physician,  actually  left  her  hus- 
band, and  seven  young  children,  to  commence  life  anew,  with 
a  distinguished  pasha.  She  seems  to  have  been  completely 
fascinated  with  the  luxurious  indolence  and  secret  orgies  of 
a  harem.  Through  her  instrumentality,  Miss  Pardee,  author- 
ess of  the  City  of  the  Sultan, — a  work  of  extraordinary  inter- 
est,— got  access  to  them,  and  thus  collected  materials  for  pub- 
lication. 

There  is  not  a  native-born  woman,  either  in  Egj'-pt  or  Asia, 
who  would  not  scorn  the  proposition  of  leaving  the  harem  for 
the  marital  relation ;  the  former  being  her  conceded  appropri- 
ate sphere,  where,  if  the  destinies  are  favorably  disposed,  and 


348  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGXPT. 

she  becomes  the  mother  of  a  son,  she  ever  after  reigns  the  sov- 
ereign of  a  little  kingdom  of  obedient  slaves. 

Of  the  internal  economy  of  those  apartments  I  know  noth- 
ing, except  through  the  relations  of  ladies  perfectly  familiar 
with  the  inmates  of  many  of  them.  I  recollect  a  lady  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  twenty-three  widows  of  Tvloham- 
med  Ali,  whom  she  declared  to  be  the  kindest,  sweetest,  and 
most  delightful  women  she  had  ever  known.  She  was  herself 
from  England,  and  certainly  had  had  advantages  such  as  might 
enable  her  properly  to  estimate  character.  Both  I\Irs.  B.  and 
the  accomplished  wife  of  an  English  physician  of  Alexandria 
occasionally  called  on  the  wife  of  Said  Pasha,  —  admiral  of  the 
fleet,  and  heir  apparent  to  the  vice-regal  throne,  —  who  was  a 
Circassian  slave,  brought  up  under  the  care  of  his  own  sister, 
and  by  her  presented  to  his  highness.  They  concurred  in 
the  declaration  that  she  was  the  loveliest  creature  they  ever 
beheld.  This  peerless  queen  of  beauty  is  the  first  lady  of  a 
very  grand  establishment.  Her  apartments  are  as  gorgeous 
as  unlimited  resources  can  make  them ;  yet  she  is  a  prisoner 
for  life,  without  the  prospect  of  liberty ;  nor  would  she  accept 
it,  if  it  were  proffered,  —  for  where  else  should  a  great  lady 
be  ?  In  addition  to  ever}'  window  being  latticed,  to  give  fur- 
ther security,  —  all  in  the  way  of  pomp  and  circumstance, — 
a  high  wall  surrounds  the  palace,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  its 
inmate  to  see  twenty-five  feet  from  the  window-stool.  From 
morning  to  night  she  lounges  on  rich  down  cushions,  piled  in 
a  corner,  where  she  reclines  a  while,  smokes  a  nargeeleh,  and 
then  tries  another  set  of  silk  lollers,  in  another  position.  A 
crowd  of  slaves,  rivalling  her  own  matchless  beauty,  are  perpet- 
ually watching  her  behest ;  and  thus  life  glides  away.  The 
husband  rarely  enters  the  house  once  in  six  months.  He  has 
been  known  to  stop  in  the  entry,  give  some  orders  to  the  serv* 


DISEASES   OF    EGYPT.  349 

ants,  and  retire.  Mrs.  B.  assured  me  that  Mrs.  Pasha  was 
very  miserable,  longed  to  see  her  husband,  and  talked  about 
him  continually  whenever  she  called,  and  yet  confessed  that 
she  was  more  afraid  of  him  than  she  was  of  death.  One  of  her 
lamentations  was  that  she  had  no  children ;  aad,  therefore, 
nothing  in  expectancy,  nothing  to  hope  for. 

A  medical  acquaintance  was  consulted,  by  a  certain  distin- 
guished public  functionary,  in  regard  to  a  pain  he  felt  in  the 
chest,  just  after  a  hearty  dinner.  He  was  recommended  to 
take  a  warm  bath.  The  prescription  struck  him  favorably ; 
and  he  told  the  doctor  that  he  would  have  all  his  women 
called,  to  administer  it ;  observing,  with  a  roguish  expression, 
"  I  pity  you  poor  devils,  with  only  one  wife ;  you  don't  know 
anything  about  being  taken  care  of." 

MEDICAL  51EN  AND  DISEASES  OF  EGYPT. 

In  the  course  of  my  survey,  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean to  ancient  Syene,  where  the  tower  stood  mentioned  by 
the  prophet  Ezekiel,  although  wearied  with  the  incessant  labor 
of  exploring  various  ruins,  besides  twice  crossing  a  section  of 
the  desert  of  Arabia  on  the  back  of  a  camel,  I  improved  every 
opportunity  for  collecting  such  facts  as  could  be  relied  upon  in 
regard  to  medical  men,  and  the  diseases  peculiar  to  the  country. 

There  are  three  leading,  dreaded  endemic  maladies,  to  con- 
trol which  ancient  and  modern  physicians  have  exerted  them- 
selves, with  very  unsatisfactory  success :  namely,  the  plague, 
on  the  origin  and  treatment  of  which  no  two  agree,  any  more 
than  in  the  United  States  in  regard  to  the  cause  and  cure  of 
cholera  :  ophthalmia,  a  fixture,  that  defies  native  control ;  and, 
lastly,  Asiatic  cholera,  that  goes  where  it  listeth,  independent 
of  sanitary  cordons  or  drugs.  To  me  there  is  nothing  obscure 
in  the  origin  of  ophthalmia,  which  I  have  investigated  through 
30 


350  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGYPT. 

the  whole  Nilotic  extent  of  Egypt.  Filth  gives  rise  to  it,  in 
most  cases ;  it  always  has  produced  it,  and  always  will,  till  the 
customs  and  habits  of  the  Arabs  and  Jews  —  the  principal  suf- 
ferers —  are  radically  reformed.  But  this  will  probably  never 
happen ;  nor  will  the  disease,  in  all  its  painful,  aggravated,  and 
often  hopeless  forms,  cease  to  afflict  them,  while  water  runs 
from  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon  down  the  inclined  plane  of 
the  valley. 

Sometimes  both  men  and  women  wash  their  faces,  although 
it  is  not  an  habitual  practice  ;  but,  in  the  act,  whenever  they  do, 
they  adroitly  avoid  touching  their  eyes  with  the  water.  At  all 
times,  the  poorest  division  of  fellahs  are  unstomachable  objects. 
Washing  makes  them  no  cleaner.  The  margins  of  their  eye- 
lids look  red  and  fretted,  in  the  incipient  form  of  the  approach- 
ing inflammation,  which  makes  them  still  more  cautious  about 
touching  them  with  the  very  application  they  most  require,  — 
water. 

An  impression  is  propagated  that  the  eyes  should  not  be 
vpet;  and  thus  the  angles  are  perpetually  in  a  bad  condition, 
especially  in  small  children,  and  young  infants.  Swarms  of 
flies  are  invariably  crowding  and  jostling  for  a  place  at  the 
fountain  of  corruption ;  and  when  they  take  wing,  the  purulent 
matter  with  which  their  feet  are  laden  is  transferred  to  the 
optics  of  others,  and  thus  the  loathsome,  destructive  distemper 
is  difflised,  and  extensively  propagated.  Our  dragoman,  on  a 
particular  occasion,  had  fearful  indications  of  an  acute  attack 
of  ophthalmia,  which  would  have  been  a  sad  affliction  to  my- 
self and  associates,  since  our  intercourse  with  the  inhabitants, 
and  the  success  of  our  researches,  depended  essentially  on  his 
tongue  and  perfect  vision.  He  was  urged  to  bathe  his  eyes 
frequently  in  cold  water,  and  to  sleep  with  a  pledget  over  them 
kept  saturated  with  it.     To  this  simple  application  he  strenu- 


OPHTHALMIA.  351 

ously  objected,  and  brought  up  the  false  notion,  that  nobody 
dare  apply  water  under  such  and  such  circumstances,  which  he 
mentioned;  but  I  insisted,  and,  on  the  second  day,  it  was  our 
happiness  to  perceive  a  favorable  change,  and  within  a  week 
he  perfectly  recovered.  A  second  case  came  under  my  care,  in 
a  person  officially  connected  with  a  public  office,  in  Cairo,  who 
had  unmistakable  premonition  of  an  attack.  He  was  urged  to 
the  same  course  of  treatment.  He,  too,  had  his  whims  and 
prejudices  to  contend  with;  but  the  fear  of  becoming  blind 
secured  the  use  of  water,  and  a  speedy  restoration  followed. 

These  illustrations  of  the  natural  method  of  reducing  an 
inflammation  of  the  eyes  and  their  appendages  are  introduced 
for  the  purpose  of  influencing  future  travellers  to  adopt,  at  the 
onset,  the  speediest  and  most  effectual  remedy,  should  they 
suffer  from  the  insidious  approaches  of  ophthalmia.  When 
leeches — the  usual  preliminary  course  —  are  applied,  I  have 
observed  that  no  reduction  of  inflammation  follows,  although 
the  excessive  pain,  a  sense  of  fulness  in  the  ball,  burning,  and 
the  disagreeable  feeling  of  grains  of  sand  under  the  lids,  may 
subside. 

The  physicians  of  Egypt  sometimes  deplete  very  considera- 
bly ;  but  the  evidence  of  their  poor  success  is  found  in  the 
multitude  of  blind  men,  women  and  children,  throughout  all 
the  nomes  and  provinces  of  that  peculiar  country.  While 
sojourning  in  the  desert,  I  made  it  a  matter  of  special  inquiry 
whether  ophthalmia  made  its  appearance  in  those  arid  regions. 
The  Bedouin  Arabs,  those  dreaded  nomads,  whose  hand  is 
against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  against  them,  from 
their  own  account,  are  not  subject  to  it;  and  they  are  almost 
invulnerable  to  every  other  disease  with  which  human  beings 
are  ordinarily  afflicted.     They  are  thin,  spare,  tall,  bronze-col- 


352  A  piLC.raMAGE  to  egypt. 

ored  people,  with  coal-black,  restless  eyes,  full  of  activity  and 
mischief.     My  recollections  of  them  are  vivid. 

While  in  company  with  a  mercantile  caravan,  of  sixty  camels, 
bound  to  Egypt,  over  the  Hadji  track,  there  was  a  rumored 
fear  of  attack  on  a  particular  evening,  just  after  encamping, 
from  the  sand-hill  Bedouins.  There  -was  prodigious  commo- 
tion ;  and  those  who  were  armed  with  old  horse-pistols  were 
extremely  anxious  to  procure  powder  of  Mr.  Warren.  There 
were  two  of  the  Bedouins,  at  that  moment,  in  the  camp,  quar- 
tered upon  the  hospitality  of  their  more  civilized  brethren,  who 
actually  stood  more  in  awe  of  them,  from  their  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  their  treacherous  character,  than  of  the  courbash  of  the 
grand  sultan  of  Turkey. 

The  exemption  of  this  people  from  ophthalmia  may  perhaps 
be  considered  as  opposed  to  my  theory ;  for  the  Bedouins  rarely 
wash,  it  being  difficult  to  procure  water  even  to  meet  the 
demands  of  thirst.  They,  however,  wipe  their  faces,  and  keep 
the  angles  of  the  eyelids  cleanly.  When  Europeans  take  the 
distemper,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  they  contract  it  through  the 
agency  of  flies,  as  previously  described. 

The  slight  inflammations  that  arise  from  the  intense  glare 
and  reflection  of  the  sun's  rays  are  not  to  be  confounded  with 
this  awful  scourge,  by  which  thousands  upon  thousands  have 
been  made  permanently  and  helplessly  blind.  Mothers,  as  1 
have  often  noticed,  make  no  effort  to  dislodge  and  drive  away 
flies  from  the  purulent,  discharging  eyes  of  their  cltildren. 

In  the  bazaars,  among  the  Jew  brokers,  and  various  other 
producing  classes,  I  have  gazed,  with  perfect  astonishment  and 
pity,  too,  at  the  clusters  of  insects  collected  on  the  angles  of 
their  ulcerated  orbits. 

Typhus  fever  is  an  annual  visitant,  principally  confined  to 
the  cities,  and  sweeps  off"  very  many  foreigners,  among  whom 


DISEASES.  353 

Italians  and  English  are  predominant,  and,  therefore,  severe 
sufferers.  Dr.  Farquar  informed  me  that  intermittents  are 
extensively  preA^alent  in  Lower  Eg}^pt,  of  which  vast  numbers 
die.  Medications,  thus  far,  have  not  been  particularly  success- 
ful. The  overflowing  of  the  Nile  leaves  an  immense  plateau 
of  country  in  a  slimy  condition,  for  months.  The  evaporation, 
under  a  torrid  sun,  modifies  the  atmosphere,  and  evidently  leads 
to  immediate  derangements  of  the  vital  machinery. 

Pulmonary  consumption,  one  would  naturally  suppose,  from 
the  singular  customs  of  the  lower  orders,  would  be  an  all-pre- 
vailing and  incurable  maladj\  Cases,  however,  are  not  numer- 
ous ;  and,  what  is  worthy  of  special  mention,  comparatively 
rare  in  places  where  it  might  be  supposed  most  frequent. 

Mechanics  and  laborers,  of  all  denominations,  —  including 
seamen  and  females,  —  go  barefooted  through  life.  They  have 
apologies  for  shoes,  occasionally ;  but  they  may  generally  be 
considered  as  shoeless,  from  infancy  to  age.  Near  the  Nile,  the 
inhabitants  are  semi-amphibious,  being  excessively  fond  of  water, 
regardless  of  cold  or  crocodiles.  They  sleep  in  their  one  cotton 
garment,  that  is  worn  through  the  day,  out  of  doors,  on  the  bare 
earth,  or  in  mud  hovels,  where  there  is  no  want  of  ventilation. 
In  the  coldest  nights  of  the  winter,  some  muster  a  coarse  bor- 
nouse,  —  a  garment  in  form  analogous  to  the  blue  shirt,  with 
the  addition  of  a  hood,  —  and  their  health  is  generally  excellent. 

Infantile  diseases,  embracing  a  long  catalogue  of  undefined 
ailments,  carry  to  an  early  grave  immense  numbers  of  young 
children.  Small-pox  is  fearfully  severe  with  them.  Mothers 
invariably  feed  their  infants  on  such  things  as  they  are  fond  of 
themselves ;  even  bits  of  carrots  are  forced  into  their  little  stom- 
achs ;  and  thus  the  mortality  among  children  is  very  consider- 
ably increased  by  the  ignorance  of  those  who  have  them  in 
30* 


354  A    PILGRIMAGE    TO    EGYPT. 

charge.     When  they  lose  them,  they  console  themselves  with 
the  hope  of  having  more. 

It  is  difficult  to  fathom  the  anomaly  of  this  uniform  desire ; 
for  an  anomaly  it  is,  contrasted  with  the  dread  of  a  numerous 
progeny  in  Christian  countries.  It  has  always  been  so  in 
Egypt  and  the  East,  from  the  first  records  of  humanity  j  and  it 
will  probably  continue  a  national  characteristic  through  all  suc- 
ceeding ages.  Fatal  childbirth  seems  hardly  known.  Degrad- 
ing immoralities  leave  a  mark  on  individuals  not  easily  effaced. 
Many  a  nose  is  seen,  in  the  narrow  streets  of  Cairo,  minus  the 
bridge. 

The  lowest  Turks,  and  all  graceless  Arabs  who  have  the 
means  for  indulgence,  are  notoriously  addicted  to  a  vice  for 
which  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  consumed  with  fire  from 
heaven.  It  is  a  sin  without  parallel  in  the  annals  of  human 
degradation,  and  yet  it  is  not  recognized  as  a  revolting,  unnat- 
ural crime  ;  even  if  it  were,  those  the  most  infamously  guilty 
are  above  the  reach  of  any  human  law.  There  might  be  related, 
from  my  note-book,  astounding  facts,  from  the  lips  of  eminent 
medical  gentlemen,  illustrative  of  the  w-eight  and  extreme  depth 
of  these  abominations  of  abominations ;  but,  as  Herodotus  said, 
in  speaking  of  certain  mysteries  taught  him  by  the  priests, 
twenty-three  centuries  ago,  where  this  sentence  is  written,  I  do 
not  feel  at  liberty  to  reveal  them. 

There  are  one  or  two  military  hospitals  in  Egypt,  under  the 
charge  of  foreign  physicians  and  surgeons,  assisted  by  those 
home-bred  native  Arab  doctors  who  have  been  trained  at  the 
expense  of  the  pasha. 

Most  of  the  surgery  results  from  accidents.  Tumors  are 
scarcely  seen.  Amputations  are  rare ;  but  couching  is  a  com- 
mon operation.  Distorted  limbs  are  seldom  met  with.  Two 
cases  of  club-feet,  only,  were  recognized  by  me,  —  one  of  wdiich 


CHOLEKA.  855 

has  been  already  adverted  to,  seen  in  the  desert ;  and  the  other 
was  a  full-grown  mendicant,  who  invariably  hobbled  after  us, 
on  his  hands  and  knees,  in  the  Frank  street  of  Cairo. 

Cholera  is  a  desolating  scourge  ;  but  it  is  most  terrific  among 
the  annual  pilgrhiis  to  Mecca.  On  the  route  down  the  Nile, 
we  fell  in  with  some  of  the  returning  hadji,  —  sinners  before 
reaching  Mohammed's  tomb,  but  saints  on  their  return.  They 
travelled  on  camels  from  the  holy  city  to  Keneh,  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Corsair  road,  and  from  thence  floated  along 
leisurely  in  boats.  They  gave  a  thrilling  narrative  of  the 
devastation  among  the  congregated  thousands  near  the  shrine 
of  the  prophet,  by  that  angel  of  death,  Asiatic  cholera.  We 
were  in  company  with  a  returning  pilgrim,  on  the  desert,  bound 
to  Constantinople,  who  informed  me  that  twenty  thousand 
persons  had  died  of  cholera  at  IMecca,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks,  before  he  left.  Subsequently,  this  intelligence  was 
confirmed  by  another  pilgrim,  with  whom  we  travelled,  on  his 
way  to  Algiers.  During  the  influential  period  of  Clot  Bey,  the 
medical  school,  raised  by  his  personal  exertions,  had  a  reputa- 
tion ;  but,  with  the  death  of  his  patron,  Mohammed  Ali,  the  sun 
of  his  greatness  went  down.  However,  besides  a  reputation, 
he  obtained  what  every  adventurer  in  the  service  of  the  same 
master  had  in  view,  a  splendid  fortune ;  and  with  it  he  made 
a  move  for  belle  France,  on  a  change  of  administration,  where 
he  is  resting  upon  his  golden  oars,  and  quaffing  such  bottles  of 
champagne  as  he  never  drank  in  the  palace  of  Shoobra.  Say 
what  enemies  may  of  him,  however,  —  it  being  fine  sport  to 
kick  a  dead  lion,  —  Clot  Bey  was  a  great  man  for  Egypt. 
While  he  was  there,  the  true  principles  of  surgery  were  taught. 

Italian  physicians  and  surgeons  ought  to  be  kicked  out :  a 
more  beggarly,  sycophantic  set  of  unprincipled  toadies,  never 
breathed.    Refeience  has  been  made  to  one  of  them,  —  Andreg, 


356  A    PILGUIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

—  the  pseudo-medical  officer  at  El  Arish,  who  did  the  only- 
honest  act  of  his  life  in  confessing  that  he  knew  nothing  of 
medicine. 

A  dirty,  bare-legged  fellow,  in  the  wake  of  a  caravan,  having 
discovered  that  I  was  a  hakem,  asked  assistance,  on  account  of 
a  bronchial  inflammation.  He  said  he  had  consulted  the  grand 
hakem,  at  El  Arish,  who  furnished  a  powder,  that  was  to  act 
like  magic;  but,  instead  of  affording  relief,  it  had  severely 
augmented  the  evil  about  the  palate.  I  found  the  article  was 
nothing  but  wood-ashes,  which  he  directed  to  have  blown  down 
the  throat,  in  large  pinches,  several  times  a  day, — an  operation 
I  often  witnessed.  A  boy  laid  the  dose  on  a  bit  of  paper,  near 
the  patient's  widely-extended  jaws,  which  was  puffed  into  the 
fauces  by  a  blast  through  a  pipe-stem. 

While  making  researches  in  this  particular  line,  several 
German  medical  aspirants  were  discovered  to  be  rising  into 
court  favor.  They  have  possession  of  the  medical  school,  and 
some  hospitals ;  and,  possibly,  by  their  gentlemanly  address, 
show  of  science,  and  apparent  sympathy  for  the  poor,  they  may 
reign  in  turn.  Dr.  Greisingen,  from  Keil ;  Dr.  Reger,  formerly 
of  Tubengen;  and  Dr.  Lantner,  of  Vienna,  I  believe  to  be  very 
worthy,  learned  men.  They  lecture  on  different  branches,  in 
the  French  language,  which  is  translated,  word  for  word,  into 
Arabic,  for  the  students,  who  are,  invariably,  thick-skulled 
fellows,  who  cannot  make  any  striking  progress  ;  consequently, 
Egypt  will  not  be  distinguished,  very  soon,  by  the  appearance 
of  another  Albufeda,  to  write  upon  science  or  antiquities. 
Thus  far,  not  one  of  these  native  scholars  has  attained  a  place 
of  high  professional  responsibility. 

Medical  adventurers  hover  about  Alexandria  and  Cairo, 
simply  because  there  are  no  other  places  offering  for  a  resting- 
place  for  the  soles  of  their  feet.     Like  Noah's  dove,  thev  leave 


MEDICAL   niACTICE.  357 

Europe  in  the  strength  of  hope,  because  the  profession  has 
multiplied  at  home  entirely  beyond  the  demands  of  society. 

A  German  hydropathist  settled  in  Alexandria,  but  met  with 
no  success  at  all.  The  Arabs  ridiculed  the  idea  of  curing  dis- 
eases with  water,  an  element  those  who  resided  near  the  Nile 
were  perpetually  dabbling  in.  He  died,  about  three  months 
before  our  arrival,  without  having  gained  much  reputation. 

After  diligent  inquiry,  no  homosopathists  could  be  found.  1 
have  an  indistinct  impression  that  some  of  that  order  of  prac- 
titioners had  been  in  Eg}'pt;  but  no  sensation  could  have  been 
made  by  a  system  so  novel,  without  awakening  more  interest 
than   any  one   manifested    in   it  with  whom  we   conversed. 

Unless  they  have  an  appointment,  the  prospect  must  be  poor 
indeed;  for  the  fees  are  small,  and  the  Arabs  have  nothing  to 
pay  with. 

Those  in  a  condition  to  command  eminent  medical  attention 
are  miserable  pay-masters.  They  are  admirable  promisers. 
"  Only  cure  me,"'  is  a  common  remark,  and  the  best  cow  in  the 
herd,  a  fleet  courser,  »SL'c.,are  to  be  forthcoming;  but  they  never 
come.  No  operation  is  performed  till  the  piastres  are  counted 
upon  the  table.  What  is  thus  secured  is  all  the  surgeon  will 
ever  receive  ;  consequentl}'',  this  course  is  quite  justifiable. 

Druggists  are  plenty,  and  have  the  general  appearance  of 
thrift,  particularly  in  Alexandria ;  their  profits,  however,  are 
not  from  putting  up  prescriptions,  but  from  the  sale  of  fancy 
articles. 

French  medical  books  are  most  in  request ;  but  how  much 
they  are  studied  is  another  matter.  No  one  appears  to  keep  pace 
with  the  discoveries  of  the  day ;  hence,  medical  periodicals  are 
a  rarity.  No  great  ambition  is  shown  to  preser\'e  for  publica- 
tion the  results  of  medical  experience. 

On  the  eve  of  sailing  from  the  United  States,  a  letter  was 


358  A    P1I.GRIMAGK   TO    EGYPT. 

received  from  an  esteemed  medical  friend,  Dr.  Muzzey,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, urging-  me  to  investigate  that  horrible  disease,  leprosy, 
Avhich  was  thoroughly  attended  to;  and  the  results  of  my 
inquiries  have  already  appeared,  in  the  Boston  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal.  I  am  unwilling,  however,  to  deny  myself 
the  pleasure  of  adverting  to  Dr.  Muzzey's  widely-promulgated 
anathemas  against  tobacco,  the  habitual  use  of  which,  in  the 
climate  of  New  England,  is  as  much  objected  to  by  myself,  as 
by  that  staunch  apostle  of  temperance  in  eating,  drinking,  and 
smoking.  But,  with  all  his  zeal,  his  unquestioned  philan- 
thropy, his  bold  arguments,  and  cogent  reasonings,  on  the 
injurious  effects  of  tobacco,  in  Egypt  he  would  find  stumbling- 
blocks  in  the  way  of  his  honest  conclusions  infinitely  worse  to 
manage  than  a  hogshead  of  the  best  Kentucky  in  the  market. 
Men,  from  childhood,  smoke  incessantly.  They  smoke  every- 
where, and  under  all  circumstances.  There  is  no  cessation ; 
not  an  hour  when  a  cloud  of  curling  smoke  is  not  ascending 
upward  to  the  skies.  It  is  the  first  and  prominent  civility  to 
hand  a  pipe ;  and  smoke  you  must,  or  suffer  under  the  imputa- 
tion of  being  no  gentleman ;  and,  were  the  good  man  of  Cin- 
cinnati sitting  where  I  am  writing,  he  would  smoke,  also,  as 
everybody  is  smoking  about  me,  like  a  coal-pit.  People  live 
long  enough,  in  Egypt,  in  all  conscience,  notwithstanding  this 
everlasting  smoking ;  for  they  outlive  their  usefulness,  outlive 
everything  but  animal  wants,  and  some  of  them  live  till  every- 
body wishes  they  were  dead  ! 

I  have  not  been  an  inattentive  observer  of  the  smoking 
mania  in  Germany,  Holland,  or  other  parts  of  continental 
Europe ;  on  the  contrary,  a  strict  inquiry  into  the  moral  and 
constitutional  evils  of  the  habit  —  very  appropriately  called  a 
vice  —  was  instituted,  while  passing  from  kingdom  to  king- 
dom ;  and  I  have  arrived  at  the  gratifying  conclusion,  that,  if 


DIET   OF   ARABS.  359 

persons  wish  to  smoke,  it  is  not  worth  while  to  waste  breath  in 
trying  to  counteract  it. 

Another  kind  of  smoking  is  practised  in  Egypt,  quite  new  to 
us  in  America  :  namely,  Indian  hemp,  known  under  tlie  name 
of  hasheesh.  There  are  apartments  where  individuals,  for  a 
trifle,  may  go,  and  draw  in  the  exhilarating  smoke  through  a 
long  pipe-stem,  till  a  miserable,  barefooted  rascal  is  converted 
into  an  imaginary  prince.  In  a  few  moments,  he  sees  the  gates 
of  a  Mohammedan  paradise  widely  opened,  for  his  royal 
entrance.  He  gazes  wildly  towards  the  sky,  and  suddenly 
laughs  himself  almost  into  convulsions,  till  all  consciousness 
passes  away,  and  the  poor  fool  falls  into  a  lethargy  of  consider- 
able duration.  I  suspect  that  cigars  are  charged  with  hasheesh, 
and  not  opium,  as  erroneously  supposed :  and  are  made  the 
instruments,  in  the  hands  of  rogues,  in  London  and  other  great 
cities,  for  the  perpetration  of  all  kinds  of  crimes. 

A  singularly  pungent,  unpalatable  composition  is  chewed  in 
the  Thebiad,  into  which  quick-lime  enters  largely,  that  burns 
the  tongue  of  an  unpractised  amateur  like  a  hot  coal.  Those 
addicted  to  the  use  of  it  have  shockingly  bad  teeth,  and  a  fetid 
breath.  They  say  a  little  piece  is  equal  to  a  full  meal,  in 
keeping  off  hunger. 

From  the  Arabs,  Jews,  Abyssinians,  slaves  and  freemen, 
with  whom  1  have  had  intercourse,  exceedingly  novel  facts 
have  been  collected,  illustrative  of  the  dietetic  regimen  in  their 
several  countries.  A  promulgation  of  them  among  modern 
physiological  society  reformers  would  sadly  unhinge  some  of 
their  most  potent  theoretical  conclusions.  Were  they  to 
attempt  the  introduction  of  a  few  of  the  modern  glorious  hob- 
bies into  Egypt,  they  would  at  once  be  laughed  at,  as  imprac- 
ticable fools  ;  and,  after  the  blush  of  chagrin  at  the  absurdity 
of  their  moonshine  propositions  had  subsided,  they  would  laugh 


360 


A    PILGRIMAGE   TO    EGiPT. 


themselves,  at  their  own  stupidity,  meddling  propensities,  and 
narrow-minded  conceptions  of  the  elements  of  humanity. 

CHARITIES  AND   CHARITABLE  INSTITUTIONS. 

All  systems  of  religion  enjoin  alms-giving.  Charity  is 
encouraged  in  Egypt;  and  the  pious,  in  their  lifetime,  often 
make  provision  for  the  necessities  of  the  poor.  I  have  already 
alluded  to  the  public  fountains  erected  in  Cairo  and  other  cities 
by  the  charitable ;  but,  of  all  which  have  come  under  my 
observation,  those  in  the  first-named  place  are  the  shabbiest, 
and  least  calculated  to  command  admiration.  As  works  of  art, 
they  are  rude  specimens  of  mechanical  ingenuity.     Sums  are 


appropriated  by  others,  to  be  expended  in  hiring  men  to  distrib- 
ute water,  in  the  streets,  from  skin  fountains  on  their  backs. 
They  give  it  freely  to  whoever  asks.     In  very  warm  weather, 


MADHOUSES.  361 

water  is  a  luxury  incomparably  superior  to  any  other  bever- 
age; and  this  gives  a  character  to  the  charity. 

The  moristan,  or  madhouse,  may  properly  be  noticed  as  a 
charity.  It  appears  that,  as  far  back  as  A.  D.  890,  Aboolgaysh 
Khamaraweeh  built  a  place  for  the  reception  of  lunatics ;  but 
it  dwindled  into  insignificance,  and  the  funds  set  apart  for  its 
maintenance,  if  there  ever  were  any,  were  unquestionably  taken 
possession  of  by  the  first  sultan  who  wanted  the  property. 
Four  hundred  years  later,  another  was  erected,  which,  partak- 
ing of  the  multifarious  changes  this  section  of  the  world  has 
been  destined  to  undergo,  is  probably  a  very  different  institu- 
tion now  from  what  it  was  even  a  century  since. 

From  a  description  given  of  the  moristan,  in  some  of  the 
guide-books,  a  very  beautiful  and  well-conducted  establishment 
might  be  expected ;  but  a  close  examination  shows  that  it  is 
entirely  at  variance  with  the  construction  of  lunatic  asylums  in 
Christian  countries.  The  lodgment  of  the  patients,  and  admin- 
istration of  the  affairs,  are  perfectly  vinretched. 

On  passing  through  a  wide  arch,  on  a  public  thoroughfare 
leading  from  the  terminus  of  Frank-street,  on  the  way  to  Bou- 
lac,  the  visiter  enters  a  court.  On  the  right  is  a  kind  of  raised 
sidewalk,  from  which  a  door  opens  into  a  long  passage-way. 
On  one  side  of  this  is  a  range  of  small  rooms,  on  the  first  floor, 
with  windows,  high  enough  to  be  quite  above  the  reach  of  the 
inmates,  and  grated.  In  the  centre  of  the  doors  commanding 
each  apartment  is  an  opening,  not  far  from  a  foot  square,  grated 
with  iron  bars.  Thus  we  could  go  from  one  door  to  the  other, 
and,  through  the  barred  window,  examine  the  interior  of  each 
cell. 

There  was  no  furniture  whatever,  and  the  distracted  crea- 
tures confined  were  maniacs  indeed,  made  worse  by  the  sever- 
ity of  their  incarceration.  One  was  a  negro,  who  was  repre- 
31 


3t)2  A    riLGIUMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

sented  to  have  killed  five  men ;  another  had  done  his  share 
of  mad  freaks ;  and  further  along  was  somebody  else.  How 
they  were  treated  could  not  be  ascertained.  They  ran  to  a 
corner,  and  half  concealed  themselves  in  a  tattered  blanket, 
muttering,  as  such  unfortunate  beings,  with  the  form  of  mad- 
ness from  which  they  were  suffering,  always  do.  Their  hag- 
gard countenances,  fearful,  demoniac  expressions,  and  frantic 
gesticulations,  made  it  very  evident  that  it  was  necessary  to 
secure  them  beyond  the  power  of  doing  harm  to  others.  When 
or  how  they  were  fed,  is  unknown  to  me.  One  or  two  were 
walking  about  the  court,  Avho  were  indicated  as  cured. 

In  the  second  story,  I  was  satisfied  that  female  voices  were 
heard  ;  but  the  attendants  declared  there  were  no  women  there. 
Even  on  the  outside,  the  evidence  of  the  occupancy  of  apart- 
ments above  those  in  possession  of  the  males  was  very  apparent. 
Still,  the  persistence  in  the  declaration  that  no  females  were  in 
or  about  the  building  made  it  certain  that  we  could  not  be  per- 
mitted to  see  them,  if  there  were  any. 

The  extreme  jealousy  with  which  women  are  guarded  by 
Mohammedans  sufficiently  explains  why  they  would  not  per- 
mit them  to  be  seen  in  the  dreadful  condition  to  which  those  in 
the  moristan  were  reduced. 

Several  men  were  always  sitting  at  the  court-gate,  whenever 
we  passed  that  way.  One  of  them  wore  a  sword ;  and,  in  the 
passage-way  referred  to,  were  several  others,  who  appeared 
quite  willing  to  have  us  look  through  the  doors,  but  were 
importunate  for  backshiesh  the  moment  the  examination  was 
completed.  They  all  gathered  about  the  one  to  whom  a  pit- 
tance was  given,  as  though  they  intended  to  share  in  the  gra- 
tuity. 

No  medical  attendant  was  spoken  of,  in  connection  with  the 
charity ;  and  I  am  quite  inclined  to  believe  that  nothing  more 


ROADS.  363 

is  done  with  an  insane  person  than  to  shut  him  up  out  of 
harm's  way,  and  wait  the  result.  In  describing  the  condition 
of  the  insane,  in  some  parts  of  Syria,  and  in  Constantinople,  in 
another  publication,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  laws  of  human- 
ity are  very  differently  administered  in  different  countries,  and 
that  they  are  exceedingly  modified  by  the  religious  faith  of 
those  on  whom  devolves  their  administration. 

From  inquiries  and  personal  observations,  insanity  is  not 
common.  It  is  doubtful  whether  there  are  thirty  in  Cairo,  in 
a  population  of  about  two  hundred  thousand.  If  the  madhouse 
contains  all  there  are  in  the  city,  then  the  number  is  small 
indeed  ;  but,  making  allowance  for  those  that  may  be  under 
restraint  by  their  families,  —  if  such  there  are,  —  insanity  bears 
by  no  means  so  large  a  proportion  to  the  whole  population  as 
with  us. 

PRESENT   CONDITION   OF  THE  ANCIENT  RUINS. 

Were  it  not  for  the  gratification  of  inspecting  the  enormous 
collection  of  colossal  ruins,  with  which  Egypt  abounds,  there 
would  be  but  little  inducement  to  explore  it  in  the  slow  and 
expensive  manner  in  which  a  journey  is  necessarily  conducted. 
There  are  no  roads,  in  the  sense  we  affix  to  a  highway.  Paths 
stretch  off  in  various  directions,  made  by  camels,  donkeys,  and 
horses ;  but  not  of  a  permanent  character.  Where  they  border 
or  cross  a  section  of  the  deserts,  they  are  liable  to  be  obliterated 
by  the  first  sand-storm  that  occurs.  When  sheiks,  and  others 
who  contract  to  carry  persons  to  particular  points,  speak  of 
roads,  they  simply  mean  the  common  route  between  any  given 
places. 

In  going  to  any  specified  locality,  east  or  west  of  the  Nile, 
beyond  the  arable  land,  the  success  of  the  jaunt  exclusively 
depends  on  the  judgment,  tact  and  familiarity  of  the  guide  with 


364  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

the  position  of  certain  stars,  bearings  of  rocks  and  sand-hills, 
when  he  last  passed,  the  tracks  of  camels  last  over  the  ground, 
and  an  occasional  brackish  well  of  water.  The  Nile  is  the 
main  highway  through  the  country :  whoever  ascends  or 
descends  it  sees  nearly  all  there  is  to  be  observed  of  the  towns 
and  hamlets,  unless  he  lands  expressly  to  measure  the  length 
and  breadth  of  mosques,  dove-cotes,  and  such  flimsy  buildings 
as  have  been  raised  within  the  last  fifty  years. 

There  are  no  houses  of  entertainment,  —  no  stopping-places, 
after  leaving  the  cities,  where  there  are  decent,  comfort- 
able, or  even  secure  accommodations.  The  traveller  hires  a 
boat,  and  it  becomes  his  house.  Whatever  is  necessary  for 
daily  consumption  must  be  carried.  Beds,  pans,  pots,  fuel,  tea, 
coffee,  sugar,  —  indeed,  every  edible  is  put  on  board,  —  together 
with  a  cook,  into  the  bargain ;  and  a  regular  family  house- 
keeping is  commenced  when  the  boat  departs  either  from  Dam- 
ietta,  Rosetta,  Alexandria  or  Cairo,  for  an  up-river  voyage. 
The  flag  of  the  country  from  whence  the  individual  came  is 
raised  on  a  staff'  at  the  stern ;  and  thus  equipped,  all  researches 
above  the  capital  are  uniformly  commenced. 

Vast  as  the  ruins  of  Egypt  are,  and  grand  bej^ond  the  con- 
ception of  those  who  have  not  wandered  through  them,  they 
indicate  but  a  faint  outline  of  what  they  must  have  been  when 
in  the  acme  of  their  architectural  glory.  Although  successive 
conquerors,  through  the  long  period  of  over  three  thousand 
years,  have  each  done  something  to  deface  and  destroy  the 
noblest  works  of  art,  the  massiveness  of  the  temple.s  and  the 
towering  majesty  of  the  pyramids  have  set  their  efforts  at 
defiance  ;  and  there  they  all  are,  where  they  were  abandoned  by 
a  people  who  reared  and  protected  them  against  foreign  aggres- 
sion, till  no  longer  able  to  maintain  their  ground ;  and  there 
they  are  likely  to  remain  a  thousand  years  longer,  the  monu- 


PROBABLE  DUBABILITY  OF  THE  PYRAMIDS.        365 

ments  of  the  ingenuity  —  perhaps  piety  —  and  extraordinary 
mechanical  resources  of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  It  is  true  that 
the  outside  layers  of  the  pyramids  of  Geezeh  are  slowly  decom- 
posing ;  but  so  very  gradually,  that  no  calculation  can  be  made 
upon  their  probable  duration.  While  the  crust  of  the  earth 
remains  as  it  is,  Cheops  will  be  a  wonder.  Nor  is  there  any 
reason  for  supposing  the  second  and  third  pyramids  may  not  be 
equally  lasting. 

No  more  desperate  efforts  are  likely  to  be  commenced  for 
prostrating  them ;  and  they  are  too  far  frem  the  capital,  and 
transportation  would  be  both  too  tedious  and  too  expensive,  to 
warrant  the  idea  that  any  of  the  stone  may  be  removed,  for 
building  purposes,  to  Cairo.  There  are  no  fears,  therefore,  of 
further  depredations  from  that  source ;  and,  before  that  city 
increases,  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  seat  of  government  may 
be  transferred  to  Alexandria. 

The  commercial  advantages  of  the  last-named  city,  its  facil- 
ities for  local  business  in  its  generously  wide  streets,  and  from 
the  increase  and  concentration  of  wealth  there,  —  which,  mighty 
as  it  is  in  Christendom,  is  really  a  greater  power  in  Egj^pt,  — 
give  increasing  indications  of  such  a  destiny. 

It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  any  town,  city  or  works, 
may  spring  into  existence  on  the  border  of  the  forsaken,  for- 
bidding desert  of  Libya,  to  pull  down  those  gigantic  monu- 
ments. 

The  last  visit  I  made  to  the  pyramids  was  with  Mr.  Warren. 
We  recollected  some  circumstances  that  demanded  further 
examination,  to  give  us  a  right  understanding  of  the  masonry ; 
and  therefore  took  donkeys,  by  daylight,  which  had  been  engaged 
over  night,  and,  much  to  our  surprise,  discovered,  before  reach- 
ing the  ferry  at  Old  Cairo,  where  the  river  is  crossed  to  proceed 
to  Geezeh,  that  only  one  driver  was  with  us. 
31*= 


366  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

Having  been  there  before,  a  guide  was  not  absolutely  re- 
quired; and  thus  we  trotted  on.  On  arriving  at  a  little  mud 
and  palm,  village,  within  a  mile  of  the  Sphinx,  there  was  a  full 
canal,  very  unusually  wide,  that  must  necessarily  be  crossed. 
The  Arabs  came  in  squads,  insisting  upon  the  necessity  of 
carrying  us  over  on  their  shoulders,  —  it  being  dangerous,  if 
not  impracticable,  to  stick  to  the  backs  of  the  animals,  which 
were  too  light  and  small  to  swim  with  us  in  that  position. 
Consequently,  we  mounted  them,  and  the  donkeys  were  led 
over. 

It  was  plain  enough,  that  there  was  no  such  depth  of 
water  as  represented,  for  the  animals,  at  no  part  of  the  passage, 
appeared  to  swim.  In  a  fatiguing  walk  up  to  the  entrance  of 
the  opening  into  the  north  side  of  the  pyramid  of  Cheops,  the 
rabble  followed  us,  —  half-naked,  savage,  importunate,  supple 
dogs,  —  and  each  one  insisted  upon  being  our  guide  to  the 
interior.  Such  was  the  confusion,  in  connection  with  a  desire 
to  rid  ourselves  of  annoyance,  we  refused  to  have  any  of  them, 
thus  avoiding  all  complaint  of  partiality. 

That  decision,  however,  did  not  calm  the  strife  of  ambition 
for  a  job.  But  we  were  resolute  and  determined,  and  told  them 
to  keep  their  distance  at  their  peril.  At  the  verj'-  entrance  sat 
the  sheik  of  the  village,  a  hard-featured  fellow,  who  felt  the 
weight  of  office.  He  demanded  four  shillings  for  permission  to 
go  in.  He  was  asked  if  he  owned  the  pyramids,  and  who 
authorized  him  to  take  toll  in  that  exorbitant  manner.  We 
told  him  plainly  that  we  should  not  pay  him  a  farthing,  should 
not  take  a  guide,  and  he  might  stop  us  if  he  dared.  He 
instantly  remarked  that  we  had  no  light,  and  therefore  could 
see  nothing.  Upon  that,  each  lighted  a  candle,  brought  for  the 
purpose,  and  proceeded.  Neither  of  us  had  arms  of  any  kind, — 
not  even  a  walking-stick  or  riding-whip,  —  but,  nevertheless,  we 


EXPLORATION   OF   CHEOPS.  ■       367 

resolutely  rushed  down  the  inclined  plane,  dark,  steep,  and 
difficult.  The  group  of  bronzed  Arabs  looked  after  us  with 
perfect  amazement,  their  black  eyes  sparkling  with  the  restless 
brightness  of  a  boa  constrictor's.  On  reaching  the  bottom, 
where  an  ascent  was  next  to  be  made,  —  a  fearfully  dark  and 
dismal  place,  still,  hot  and  dirty,  —  one  of  the  dozen  or  two  at 
the  mouth  came  sliding  down,  and  caught  me  by  the  arm,  say- 
ing he  would  show  us.  We  were  thankful  to  have  him ;  but 
it  would  not  have  been  consistent  to  have  gone  back  and  solic- 
ited assistance,  after  the  stand  taken. 

We  went  from  one  strange  place  to  another;  and,  in  the 
end,  reached  the  famous  apartments  called  the  king  and  queen's 
chambers.  They  were  cased  with  very  large  slabs  of  polished 
granite,  jointed  with  an  exactness  that  made  it  difficult  to  find  the 
seams.  When  it  is  recollected  that  the  base  of  this  pyramid 
covers  five  hundred  and  seventy-one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
thirty-six  square  feet  of  ground,  and  that  we  Avere  obliged  to 
grope  the  way  by  candle-light  up  and  down,  and  through  gyrat- 
ing passages,  to  the  centre,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
extent  of  our  undertaking.  Its  present  height  is  four  hundred 
and  sixty  feet,  nine  inches. 

When  satisfied,  the  candles  being  nearly  exhausted,  we 
made  our  exit  into  the  midst  of  those  left  at  the  mouth  on 
plunging  in.  The  sheik  again  demanded  four  shillings,  as  his 
rightful  due.  They  entertained  an  expectation  of  fleecing  us 
at  the  canal,  imagining  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  pro- 
ceed without  their  assistance.  I  led  off  a  little  donkey,  — 
quite  regardless  of  their  asseverations  that  it  was  mooshtibe, 
and  that  we  should  be  in  the  water  over  the  backs  of  the  short- 
legged  beasts,  —  well  knowing  that  a  swim  of  a  few  rods,  in  a 
hot  day,  would  be  no  difficult  feat  or  unpleasant  exercise.  As 
on  the  other  occasion,  we  triumphed,  and  came  out  in  excellent 


368  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

condition,  without  a  wet  thread,  on  the  opposite  side,  to  their 
apparent  confusion. 

It  was  not  the  payment  of  a  reasonable  fee  that  was  objected 
to,  but  the  unreasonable  demand  of  backshiesh,  in  which  each 
one  was  contending  for  a  slice,  that  induced  us  to  resist,  and 
insist  upon  going  on  our  own  responsibility;  and,  having  once 
assumed  an  independent,  nonchalant  air,  it  would  not  do  to 
swerve  from  it  with  Arabs. 

When  vre  came  down  to  the  village,  opposite  the  ford,  to  Old 
Cairo,  the  streets  were  lined  with  women,  sitting  promiscuously 
about,  by  hundreds,  crying  and  wailing,  in  great  distress.  They 
had  mud  on  their  faces,  on  their  bosoms,  and  front  of  their 
dress,  and  some  spattered  their  cheeks  with  blue  dye ;  and  they 
all  presented  an  extraordinary  spectacle,  entirely  new  and  unex- 
pected. On  inquiry,  we  were  informed  that  there  had  been  a 
fair,  which  all  the  villagers  had  attended;  and,  in  the  midst  of 
their  enjoyments,  the  pasha's  soldiers  rushed  upon  them,  and 
secured  all  the  young  men  for  the  army.  Thus  sons,  husbands 
and  brothers,  were  entrapped,  without  expectation  of  ever  being 
liberated.  They  were  shut  up  in  a  yard  near  by,  and  strictly 
guarded.  I  never  witnessed  stronger  evidences  of  poignant 
grief,  or  had  cognizance  of  a  more  despotic  measure.  Their 
crops,  families,  and  everything  else  dear  to  the  entrapped  men, 
were  ever  after  hopelessly  beyond  their  reach.  There  was  a 
rumored  difficulty  between  the  pasha  and  the  sultan  of  Turkey, 
and  this  was  a  precautionary  step  towards  increasing  the 
Egyptian  forces. 

While  groping  and  feeling,  inch  by  inch,  in  some  parts  of 
the  pyramid,  —  a  description  of  which  would  be  quite  absurd, 
since  there  is  no  end  to  the  tedious  minuteness  bestowed  upon 
each  angle  and  niche  by  travellers,  —  I  felt  a  conviction,  as  I 


PURPOSE    OP   THE    PYRAMIDS.  369 

Still  do,  that  the  mystery  of  its  internal  construction  has  not 
yet  been  discovered. 

Colonel  Vyse  and  others  have,  indeed,  been  laborious  in  their 
attempts  to  explain  and  expose  the  whole.  The  chambers  are, 
in  my  humble  estimation,  nothing  more  than  puzzles  or  lures, 
purposely  introduced  by  the  arch  contrivers  of  these  fabrics, 
anticipatory  of  the  curiosity  that  would  naturally  enough  be 
excited,  in  after  ages  of  the  world's  history,  to  fathom  the 
object  of  their  erection.  According  to  Herodotus,  —  who  may 
be  read  with  profit,  and  who  is  still  a  model  guide,  although  he 
preceded  us  all,  in  his  explorations,  by  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred years,  —  the  real  beauties,  the  astounding  wonders,  and 
all  that  is  truly  calculated  to  astonish  mankind,  are  still  con- 
cealed beneath  a  mountain  of  quarried  stone. 

The  opportunity  is  better  now  than  at  any  previous  time  for 
new  researches ;  and  I  have  confidence  in  the  opinion  that 
something  will  yet  be  brought  to  light,  from  the  secret  archives 
somewhere  under  the  pyramid  of  Cheops,  which  will  invest 
the  history  of  Eg}^pt  with  a  new  interest,  and  perhaps  furnish 
far  more  important  materials  than  have  yet  come  down  through 
the  broken  chain  of  tradition,  monumental  hieroglyphical 
inscriptions,  imperfectly  deciphered,  and  fragmentary  scraps  of 
Manetho,  to  illustrate  an  earlier  condition  of  the  human  race 
than  has  yet  reached  us  through  any  other  channel  than  the 
Mosaic  writings. 

The  care  bestowed  in  the  finishing  of  the  exterior  of  the  sec- 
ond, or  pyramid  of  Cephrinus,  is  equally  indicative  of  the 
importance  attached  to  it.  To  remain  contented  with  the  old 
theorj',  that  all  the  pyramids  were  simply  tombs  for  the  indi- 
viduals in  whose  reigns  they  were  built,  is  not  at  all  satisfac- 
tory. It  is  not  questioned  that  the  royal  remains  of  the  august 
monarchs  who  furnished  men  and  materials  for  the  accomplish- 


370  A  PILGRIMAGE  TO   EGYPT. 

ment  of  such  very  surprising  achievements  may  have  been 
deposited  in  them.  But,  if  Herodotus  is  to  be  credited,  —  and 
his  veracity  should  not  be  questioned  till  he  has  been  proved 
in  error,  —  the  sepulchre  of  Cheops  has  not  yet  been  dis- 
covered. He  even  gives  a  description  of  a  communication,  by 
means  of  a  canal,  between  the  interior  of  the  pyramid  and  the 
Nile,  which  has  not  yet  been  found.  If  there  is  an  island  in 
the  centre,  below,  crowned  by  a  monument,  over  four  hundred 
feet  high,  on  which  rests  the  sarcophagus  containing  the  king's 
body,  it  has  not  been  disturbed,  and  the  discovery  still  awaits 
the  persevering  industry  of  a  future  Belzoni.  In  their  imme- 
diate vicinity  there  are  ranges  of  tombs,  that  were  elaborately 
and  skilfully  made,  the  masonry  of  which  quite  overtops  the 
very  best  specimens  extant  in  these  days,  with  all  our  advances 
in  the  arts  of  building.  The  sand  has  crept  in,  and  filled  them 
full,  concealing  hundreds,  perhaps,  that  are  unimpaired,  and 
which  are  hermetically  sealed,  as  it  were,  from  the  prying  hands 
of  the  ignorant,  demi-civilized  wretches  who  inhabit  that  region, 
to  surprise  and  enlighten  mankind  by  the  treasures  of  knowl- 
edge that  will  emanate  from  them  hereafter. 

If  the  sand  were  carted  off  to  the  plain  below,  or  a  tempo- 
rary rail-track  laid,  to  facilitate  excavations,  the  world  would 
be  roused  to  a  high  feeling  of  enthusiasm  by  the  develop- 
ments that  would  be  made.  Those  were  not  periods  of  barbar- 
ism, when  the  sepulchres,  the  great  cities,  the  temples  and  the 
pyramids,  were  reared.  Had  they  all  been  swept  away,  and 
one  stone  of  them  no  longer  remained  upon  another,  but,  in 
their  stead,  a  minute  description  of  their  magnitude,  the  sculp- 
tures, raised  figures,  massive  columns,  the  red  polished  mono- 
liths covered  with  characters,  and  other  things,  equally  singu- 
lar, but  true,  the  history  would  no  more  have  been  credited 
than  the  stories  of  the  Arabian  Nights.     The  edifices  them- 


THE   PYRAMIDS.  371 

selves,  which,  were  the  themes  of  admiration  three  thousand 
years  ago,  have  been  preserved,  and  they  surpass  —  yes,  far 
surpass  —  the  most  vivid  descriptions  that  were  ever  given  of 
them.  Therefore  we  have  the  evidence  of  our  own  senses, 
that  the  people  who  lived  when  these  monuments  of  human 
ambition  and  mechanical  adroitness  were  brought  into  form 
surpassed  ourselves  in  architecture.  We  have  neither  the  skill, 
patience  nor  means,  with  all  our  science,  national  resources,  or 
constructiveness,  to  equal  them  in  this  department  of  energy 
and  creative  determination ;  and  if  their  wisdom  and  capacity 
were  so  great  in  this  direction,  it  is  but  fair  to  suppose  that 
they  could  not  have  come  far  short  of  our  present  civilization 
in  most  others. 

There  is  no  limitation  to  a  discussion  of  this  character.  The 
works  of  those  people  give  conclusive  evidence  of  their  power 
and  skill ;  and  I  have  entire  confidence  in  the  belief  that  more 
is  to  be  known  about  them  hereafter.  The  sand's  insidious 
approach  to  the  threshold  of  the  beautiful  temples  of  Abydos 
and  Dendera,  deplored  as  it  may  have  been,  and  still  is,  has 
perhaps  been  ordered  for  the  very  purpose  of  preserving  them 
and  their  more  precious  contents.  These  might  be  exposed,  at 
no  great  cost ;  and,  whenever  that  is  done,  it  would  not  be  dif- 
ficult to  restore  the  lost  stones,  to  replace  those  thrown  down, 
and  then,  but  not  before,  shall  we  know  where  those  secret 
passages  lead  that  are  made  visible  at  one  extremity.  Under 
the  heavy  stone  floors  there  may  be  deep,  strong  vaults,  and 
stone  boxes,  filled  with  sacred  parchments  and  treatises,  of  infi- 
nite value  to  literature. 

One  reason  why  those  and  all  the  other  temples  of  Egypt 
have  been  able  to  resist  the  wear  and  war  of  ages  is  because 
the  stones  of  which  they  were  formed  were  of  great  size,  and 
each  end  was  finished.     There  was  neither  coating  nor  paint- 


372  A   PILQKIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

ing  on  the  outside,  nor  lathing,  plastering  or  coloring  within. 
There  was  a  solid  stone  wall,  rarely  less  than  two  feet,  and, 
generallj'-,  three  feet  in  thickness.  All  the  joinings  were  admi- 
rable,— almost  a  glue  joint;  and,  to  prevent  the  stones  from 
being  displaced  by  violence,  they  were  curiously  dove-tailed 
together  by  wooden  ties,  which  have  lasted  to  this  day.  Had 
they  been  of  iron,  they  would  have  been  destroyed  by  oxj-da- 
tion ;  if  of  bronze  or  copper,  their  number  and  value  might 
have  led  to  depredations,  for  the  sake  of  the  metal ;  but  wood 
was  subject  to  no  such  contingencies,  and  has  proved  equally 
useful,  and  more  indestructible,  than  anything  else  that  might 
have  been  employed  for  the  purpose. 

When  the  walls  were  all  up,  and  the  roof  securely  on,  — 
which  last  was  made  of  immensely  heavy  blocks  of  sandstone, 
—  the  workmen  began  to  dress  them,  on  both  surfaces.  This 
is  inferred  from  the  circumstance  that  several  of  the  great 
structures  were  left  incomplete  ;  the  chalk  marks  of  the  designer 
are  still  fresh,  and  as  distinct  as  though  drawn  but  a  week  ago. 
The  rough  chisel-cuttings,  too,  are  recognized  on  cornices,  on 
chapiters,  friezes,  and  other  prominent  parts  of  the  imperfect 
edifices.  By  proceeding  in  that  manner,  raised  figures  could 
be  left  on  the  face  of  the  stone  ;  and  it  was  in  that  way,  beyond 
all  question,  all  those  masterly  reliefs  were  produced.  The 
sculptor,  with  his  delicate  tools,  followed,  closely  and  unerr- 
ingly, the  designs  of  the  artist. 

All  the  great  columns  at  Karnak,  Luxor,  and  Thebes,  appear 
to  have  been  simply  piled  up,  block  upon  block,  perpendicularly, 
beautifully  joined,  so  that  the  line  of  contact  is  scarcely  per- 
ceptible. The  workmen,  on  suspended  stagings,  carried  on  the 
dressing,  from  top  to  bottom,  patiently,  but  in  exact  accordance 
with  the  instruction  they  had  received  from  those  who  were 


SCULPTURES    IN    TEMPLES.  373 

solicitous  to  preserve  and  transmit  an  exact  and  truthful  record 
of  whatever  was  considered  essential  to  future  generations. 

Battle  scenes,  an  exhibition  of  a  fleet,  and  the  lofty  bearing 
of  the  monarch,  were  displayed  on  the  outer  walls  of  the  tem- 
ples, where  a  sight  of  them  would  recall  the  majesty  and  prow- 
ess of  the  sovereign,  and  enthusiasm  for  the  defence  of  the 
country ;  while,  on  the  inside,  on  the  holy  of  holies,  the  ceil- 
ing, overhead,  in  all  apartments  where  the  people  were  per- 
mitted, on  great  solemnities,  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  interior 
of  sacred  edifices,  the  portraits  of  the  gods  of  Egypt,  in  the 
discharge  of  the  high  functions  of  their  supreme  offices,  were 
exclusively  exhibited. 

It  is  evident  that  every  kind  of  pictorial  illustration  of  this 
kind  —  and  they  are  numerous  beyond  expression  —  was  exe- 
cuted after  the  walls  and  pillars  were  completely  in  place. 
Had  the  desims  been  finished  at  the  quarries,  or  other  places, 
before  the  stones  were  raised,  the  beautiful  and  elaborately  cut 
figures  w^ould  have  been  marred  in  thousands  of  instances,  and 
pitifully  mutilated  in  all  of  them. 

There  is  a  mechanical  stiffness  and  severity  in  the  drawings, 
that  shows  a  strict  adherence  to  an  arbitrary  system  of  symbolic 
expressions.  When  the  ancient  artists  chose  to  exercise  a 
freedom  conformable  to  nature,  they  were  unequalled  for  the 
ability  displayed.  Thus,  in  the  g)'mnastic  scenes  in  one  of  the 
tombs  of  Beni  Hassan,  it  is  plain  that  the  artist  was  not  com- 
pelled to  follow  any  guide,  but  gave  his  own  taste  and  judg- 
ment full  play.  But,  on  turning  to  the  sacred  enclosures,  the 
temples  w^here  the  mysteries  of  religion  and  religious  rifes  were 
celebrated,  the  reliefs  are  stiff  and  formal.  The  great,  un- 
meaning, unsymmetrical  eye  is  invariably  the  same.  Horus 
looks  fiercely  upon  mortals,  as  he  does  upon  his  beatific  asso- 
ciates in  the  realms  of  bliss.  All  the  symbolical  and  hiero- 
32 


374  A  PILGRIMAGE  TO  EGYPT. 

glyphical  cuttings  were  not  made  in  any  one  year  or  dynasty, 
but  were  carried  on  through  a  succession  of  reigns,  for  more 
than  two  thousand  years,  down  to  the  epoch  of  the  Ptolemies ; 
and  public  edifices  were  always  being  erected,  through  every 
reign ;  and,  however  modified  the  government  might  have  been, 
in  that  long  succession  of  ages,  the  sacred  written  character 
appears  to  have  always  been  precisely  and  unalterably  the 
same.  Whatever  came  within  the  care  of  the  ancient  priest- 
hood—  a  learned,  subtle  body  of  prelates,  who  stood  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  people,  and  made  religion  the  engine  of  an 
uncompromising  despotism  —  was  very  systematically  con- 
ducted ;  and  hence  the  uniformity  and  purity  of  the  symbol- 
ical literature,  which  we  so  faintly  appreciate. 

With  a  thousand  dollars,  judiciously  expended,  the  principal 
temple  of  Abydos  might  be  completely  exposed  to  view ;  and,  1 
doubt  not,  the  discovery  of  works  of  art,  and,  perhaps,  docu- 
ments, of  which  no  tradition  is  extant,  would  be  secured,  that 
would  explain  many  difficult  problems  in  regard  to  the  early 
state  of  civilization  in  Egypt.  The  temple  of  Dendera  was 
cleared  out  inside  by  the  mandate  of  Mohammed  Ali.  Its 
grandeur  the  magnitude  of  its  pillars,  adytum,  and  the  impos- 
ing effect  of  its  beautiful  proportions,  are,  in  the  highest  degree, 
surprising.  Collateral  ruins,  buried  entirely,  might  yield  tro- 
phies of  equal  value  to  literature ;  but  nothing  has  yet  been 
accomplished  towards  ascertaining  their  internal  condition. 
Within,  all  the  buried  temples  are  filled  up  with  immense 
quantities  of  broken  brick,  and  irregular  stones,  of  one  or  two 
pounds  In  weight.  Sometimes  a  heavy  piece  of  hewn  granite, 
or  a  fragment  of  white  marble,  intermingled  with  broken  pot- 
tery, and  light,  porous  dust,  is  found  among  the  filling.  Where 
such  quantities  of  brick  came  from,  is  a  perplexing  question. 
They  must   have   been   brought  there,  and  thrown  in,  with 


SCULPTUKES   IN   TEMPLES.  375 

immense  labor ;  while,  on  the  outside,  the  sand  from  the  des- 
ert has  accumulated  round  them,  and  actually  covered  them 
over,  and  the  sand  level,  in  all  directions,  has  been  uniformly 
raised. 

At  Edfou,  the  principal  temple  was  as  rich  and  magnificent 
as  art  and  the  resources  of  the  king  and  priests  could  make  it. 
That  might  be  cleared,  also,  and  be  one  of  the  most  perfect  of 
any  in  Egypt.  The  columns  —  the  chapiters  of  which  are 
partially  exposed,  by  the  activity  of  strangers,  who  have  dug 
away  some  of  the  foul  accumulations  —  exhibit  an  artistical 
perfection  that  would  be  difficult  to  imitate  in  these  latter  days, 
with  the  aid  of  all  the  powers,  processes  and  appliances,  we 
possess  in  the  arts.  That  temple,  from  its  mural  protection,  I 
imagine  to  have  been  a  holy  fortress,  in  which  the  priests  were 
secure,  and  beyond  the  reach  of  civil  commotions  of  the  people. 
Before  powder  took  the  place  of  slings,  bows,  arrows  and  bat- 
tering-rams, this  must  have  been  a  formidable  habitation  for 
the  old  managers  of  the  political  religion  of  the  state.  It  may 
have  also  been  a  collegiate  institution ;  and,  from  the  security 
with  which  it  was  guarded,  has  induced  me  to  hope  for  the 
finding  of  more  remains  than  in  some  others  of  less  apparent 
importance. 

Thebes  offers  fewer  prospects  than  any  other  of  the  great 
ruins,  because  its  former  eminence  and  wealth  made  it  an 
inviting  object  for  spoliations  by  the  Persian  invaders,  under 
Cambyses,  and  those  who  imitated  his  destructive  policy  at 
later  periods.  More  tombs  in  the  mountain  necropolis  are  in 
reservation,  to  reward  the  discoverer  with  a  harvest  of  fresh 
objects,  and  illustrations  of  Egypt  in  its  infancy  and  glory. 
Luxor  is  partially  buried ;  but  the  prospect  is  not  good  there  for 
excavations,  because  it  was  sacked  and  pillaged  by  the  sacri- 
legious hands  that  destroyed  the  beauty  of  Thebes  and  the 


376  A   PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

majesty  of  Karnak.  Possibly,  in  the  ruins  of  the  latter,  — 
which  must  have  excelled  all  other  structures  in  Egypt,  both  in 
extent  and  opulence,  —  the  priests,  in  their  consternation  at  the 
approach  of  the  dreaded  invaders,  may  have  concealed  many 
of  their  sacred  implements  and  manuscripts,  which  are  yet  to 
be  brought  up,  for  the  edification  of  the  literati  in  the  last  ages 
of  the  world. 

Philce  is  a  cluster  of  ruins  which  it  would  be  a  pity  to  dis- 
turb, for  a  removal  of  the  corner-stones,  or  base  of  columns, 
where  researches  would  naturally  be  directed,  would  destroy 
all  there  now  is  of  interest  on  the  island.  The  island  of  Ele- 
phantine might  yield  a  compensation,  should  an  exploration  be 
attempted.  As  there  is  nothing  left  to  be  destroyed,  the  busi- 
ness of  hunting  for  concealed  vaults  would  consist  in  rolling 
huge  blocks  of  granite  from  one  position  to  another.  Whether 
it  was  a  priestly  residence,  has  not  been  determined. 

From  the  great  burial-fields,  much  may  be  expected  by  future 
researches.  The  Arabs,  in  their  incessant  greediness  for  buried 
property,  are  making  shocking  havoc  with  the  mummy-pits  at 
Saklcara  and  Thebes,  and  I  know  not  how  many  other  places ; 
and  they  have,  beyond  a  doubt,  often  fallen  upon  real  treasures 
to  the  antiquarian,  of  the  value  of  which  they  knew  nothing 
at  all,  and  therefore  cast  away  as  useless. 

Uniform  surprise  is  manifested,  by  those  who  visit  the  ruins 
of  Egypt,  that  more  remains  of  great  cities  do  not  exist.  There 
were  palaces  for  kings,  and  establishments  for  noblemen  of  the 
courts ;  but  not  a  wing  of  a  palace  remains,  —  no,  not  a  single 
relic  of  a  superior  kind  of  dwelling  for  private  individuals.  I 
fully  believe  there  never  were,  in  any  age  of  Egypt,  any  better 
dwellings  than  are  now  to  be  seen.  Mud  was  the  magazine 
from  which  the  mass  of  the  inhabitants  drew  to  build  their 
houses,  as  at  present ;  and  their  decay  explains,  in  part,  the 


PRESENT   GOVERNMENT   OF   EGYPT.  377 

gradual  rise  of  all  the  mounds  from  small  beginnings.  There 
may  have  been  some  brick  structures  in  the  immediate  vicinage 
of  a  few  temples ;  there  is  no  other  way  of  accounting  for  the 
presence  of  brick.  Wood  was  always  scarce,  even  in  the 
mummy-making  ages,  —  an  inference  based  upon  the  fact  that 
all  the  mummy-cases  were  actually  manufactured  of  small 
pieces  of  wood,  dovetailed  together.  Foreign  commerce  might 
have  supplied  some  timber ;  but  it  was  never  introduced  into 
the  building  of  any  of  the  temples.  One  generation,  doubtless, 
followed  the  general  customs  of  the  preceding,  building  of  mud, 
and  other  cheap,  perishable  materials  ;  and  the  modern  houses 
of  the  fellahs  are  very  analogous  to  those  that  have  stood  on 
the  same  ground  in  all  past  times. 

PRESENT   GOVERJOIENT   OF   EGYPT. 

The  last  subject  for  consideration,  in  the  foregoing  connec- 
tion, is  the  political  condition  of  Egypt  at  the  termination  of 
my  investigations. 

Although  Egj'pt  is,  nominally,  a  fief  of  the  Turkish  empire, 
yet  it  is  really  independent  of  it ;  and  the  entire  machinery  of 
the  government,  and  the  resources  and  lives  and  property  of  the 
inhabitants,  are  under  the  exclusive  control  of  a  single  indi- 
vidual. Abbas  Pasha.  He  is  the  grandson  of  Mohammed  Ali. 
By  the  stipulation  of  the  European  nations,  Egypt  is  to  be 
governed  by  his  descendants  just  so  long  as  an  annual  tribute  is 
regularly  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  Sublime  Porte,  at  Con- 
stantinople. 

The  revenues,  by  land  tax,  capitation  tnx,  and  on  imports  at 
the  custom-house,  are  assumed  to  be  about  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars,  annually ;  but  there  are  no  data  for  determining,  with 
much  exactness,  the  income  of  the  government.  Assuming  the 
revenue  at  that  sum,  such  is  the  shameful  practice  of  extortion, 
32^ 


378  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

by  the  subordinates  of  the  pasha,  who  collect  it,  that  it  may 
safely  be  calculated  that  they  contrive  to  sponge  out  of  the 
people  all  of  another  million,  which  is  variously  divided  among 
themselves. 

Abbas  Pasha  is  represented  to  be  an  indolent  man,  short,  fat, 
lethargic,  and  given  to  the  pursuit  of  pleasure.  He  is  further 
reputed  to  be  a  bigoted  Moslem,  a  believer  in  the  deadly  influ- 
ences of  the  evil  eye,  and  under  the  dominion  of  whims 
entirely  beneath  a  common  intelligence.  He  is  good-looking, 
and  has  an  amiable  expression,  when  not  heated  by  passion. 
His  great  ambition  is  to  have  beautiful  horses,  and  a  multitude 
of  peaces.  Even  far  out  in  the  desert,  on  the  route  to  Suez, 
he  has  a  famous  lounging-place ;  and  loves  to  converse,  it  is 
said,  about  the  pure  air  and  its  invigorating  properties,  in  that 
sandy  locality. 

A  gentleman  related  of  him  the  following  circumstance, 
which  is  said  to  have  occurred  the  year  before  our  arrival.  A 
trusty  groom  had  the  care,  at  his  highness'  favorite  desert 
station,  of  several  very  splendid  Arab  steeds,  of  which  he  was 
excessively  fond.  One  day,  the  pasha  arrived  there  from  Cairo, 
and  had  just  got  into  a  comfortable  position,  to  look  from  a 
window,  when  he  saw  some  overland  passengers  bound  to  India, 
who  had  come  on  in  the  company's  van,  at  station  number 
eight.  While  they  were  waiting  for  a  change  of  animals,  they 
were  also  admiring  his  bloods.  To  allow  this,  was  an  unpar- 
donable offence  upon  the  part  of  the  groom,  which  was  aggra- 
vated by  the  fact  of  his  riding  back  and  forward,  that  the 
gentlemen  might  have  a  full  opportunity  to  appreciate  their 
merit.  The  blood  of  the  pasha  boiled  Avith  a  rage  he  had 
hardly  the  power  to  control,  and  he  called  down  imprecations 
upon  the  head  of  the  abandoned  wretch  who  dared  to  permit 
the  evil  eye  of  Englishmen  to  rest  upon  his   priceless   stud. 


i 


ABBAS    PASHA   AST)   HIS   KELATION'S.  379 

One  of  his  suite,  familiar  with  the  temper,  as  well  as  the  big- 
otry, of  his  imperial  master,  ran,  as  quickly  as  possible,  to  the 
innocent  cause  of  this  tempest  of  passion,  and  told  him  to  run 
for  his  life,  if  he  would  escape  the  vengeance  of  his  infuriated 
master.  Leaping  from  the  back  of  a  horse,  the  frightened 
fellow  instantly  fled  into  the  pathless  desert,  which  offered  the 
only  prospect  of  security. 

Happily,  a  caravan  picked  him  up ;  and,  after  a  long  journey, 
he  reached  some  part  of  Syria,  not  recollected,  where  he  still 
remained,  when  this  relation  was  given.  The  pasha  sent  out 
for  the  poor  vassal,  at  the  acme  of  his  wrath,  as  anticipated ; 
and,  when  disappointed  of  the  satisfaction  of  crushing  him  with 
a  blow  of  his  might,  as  he  intended,  the  fury  of  his  vice-regal 
rage  became  intensely  terrific. 

While  the  stipulated  number  of  purses  are  punctually  remit- 
ted to  his  master  in  Turkey,  Abbas  Pasha  will,  no  doubt,  be 
sustained  by  his  European  friends,  who  have  guaranteed  the 
integrity  of  the  present  order  of  things ;  but  a  growing  mis- 
understanding has  been  some  time  fermenting,  and  intimations 
are  frequently  given  of  a  threatened  rupture  between  the  high 
controlling  parties. 

The  next  heir  to  the  throne  is  Said  Pasha,  admiral  of  the 
fleet,  who  has  some  excellent  traits  of  character,  being  good- 
natured,  and  more  liberal  than  the  pasha  in  his  religious  and 
political  views.  Beyond  him  is  a  young  lad,  —  the  last  child 
born  to  Mohammed  Ali,  in  his  extreme  old  age,  —  a  bright, 
intelligent  boy,  somewhere  near  thirteen  years  of  age.  To  him 
the  public  attention  has  been  somewhat  directed,  with  an 
expectation  that  the  government  may,  finally,  fall  to  his  care. 

Ibrahim  Pasha  —  the  general,  who  certainly  would  have 
subverted  the  Ottoman  throne,  had  his  projects  not  been  counter- 
acted by  the  diplomacy  of  Europe,  united  to  preserve  the  Turk- 


380  A   PILGRI5IAGE  TO  EGYPT. 

ish  empire  —  left  three  sons,  before  alluded  to,  who  display- 
energy  and  tact  in  business.  They  are  manufacturers  of  sugar, 
on  the  Upper  Nile ;  and,  being  better  educated  than,  most 
natives,  they  may  hereafter  play  an  important  part  in  the 
political  changes  that  await  this  doomed  country. 

There  is  no  scheme  for  bettering,  elevating  and  enriching 
Egypt,  that  did  not  originate  with  Mohammed  Ali.  But  all 
the  old  hero's  plans  for  developing  its  resources,  and  civilizing 
the  diverse  races  brought  under  his  rule  by  conquest,  are 
neglected  by  his  grandson.  Domestic  economy  is  not  encour- 
aged ;  the  manufacturing  establishments  are  falling  into  decay, 
and  some  of  the  costly  machinery,  made  in  France,  is  now 
rusting,  out  of  doors,  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  In  short,  there 
is  nothing  doing  that  was  commenced  towards  elevating  mod- 
ern Egypt  to  a  position  of  national  respectability.  Every 
department  of  the  government  has  deteriorated  since  the  death 
of  the  extraordinary  genius  who  raised  them  from  nothing  into 
an  orderly  state  of  activity. 

There  is  A^astly  more  freedom,  and  less  embarrassment 
thrown  in  the  way  of  the  traveller,  than  in  continental  Europe. 
England  is  free  as  air,  and  next  to  it  is  Egypt;  and  simply 
because  British  influence  is  exerted  there  for  the  protection 
and  security  of  life  and  property.  No  such  provoking  annoy- 
ances and  obstacles  to  progress  are  presented  there  as  embar- 
rass the  traveller  in  the  papal  states  generally,  and  the  king- 
dom of  Naples,  —  two  of  the  most  contemptible  governments 
recognized  in  the  catalogue  of  nations.  Both  of  them  are  a 
disgrace  to  Christendom.  They  are  so  palpably  bad,  that  even 
the  few  seeds  of  freedom  sown  there,  and  watered  by  the  blood 
shed  in  the  late  unsuccessful  revolutions,  will  germinate,  and 
upheave  and  overturn  them ;  for  they  are  a  mockery,  —  the 
grossest  violations  of  the  laws  of  civilization. 


MOHAMMED   ALL  381 

Yet  all  this  security  in  Eg}^pt  was  brought  about,  by  Moham- 
med Ali,  from  the  most  diverse  and  discordant  materials,  the 
echo  of  whose  name  among  the  ruins  of  his  country,  from  Cle- 
opatra's Needle  to  the  waving  palms  of  central  Africa,  and  over 
the  unsurveyed  deserts  where  Ishmaelites  roam  for  plunder, 
continues  to  inspire  more  terror,  in  those  who  entertain  no 
respect  for  order  or  law,  than  the  forces  at  the  disposal  of  all 
the  despots  on  the  globe. 

Mohammed  Ali  was  sometimes  cruel,  reckless  of  human 
life,  and  a  tyrant.  When  he  had  overcome  the  Mamelukes, 
who  were  plotting  for  his  destruction,  and  whom  he  was  justi- 
fied in  securing,  by  the  first  law,  —  that  of  self-preservation,  — 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  arts  that  belong  to  peace  ;  but  his 
desires  were  thwarted,  and  he  was  compelled  to  warfare.  It  is 
not  my  province  to  discuss  his  policy,  or  animadvert  on  his 
sins.  He  was  a  great  man,  a  statesman  of  enlarged  views, 
who,  with  nothing  but  the  indomitable  energy  of  his  nature,  — 
without  fortune,  patrons,  or  the  assistance  of  allies,  —  founded 
a  kingdom,  and  transmitted  it  to  his  posterity.  The  disadvan- 
tages against  which  he  was  obliged  to  contend  would  have  been 
insurmountable  to  any  other  person,  placed  under  the  pressure 
of  similar  circumstances.  Among  other  accusations,  he  has 
been  charged  with  despoiling  the  ruins  of  Eg}'pt;  but  the 
assaults  made  upon  those  monuments,  in  the  name  of  science, 
by  the  notorious  Dr.  Lepsius,  have  been  far  more  productive 
of  evil  than  those  of  Mohammed  Ali. 

Mohammed  Ali  could  neither  read  nor  write ;  and,  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  knew  no  other  language  than  his  mother 
tongue.  How  was  it  possible,  without  education,  without  even 
a  knowledge  of  the  character  of  those  splendid  monuments,  he 
could  have  appreciated  their  intrinsic  value,  as  they  are  esti- 
mated by  the  scholar,  or  a  student  in  the  lore  of  archaeology  ? 


382  A    PILGRIMAGE   TO   EGYPT. 

By  his  orders,  a  few  unimportant  structures  were  destroyed, 
for  the  purpose  of  rearing  edifices  which  were  to  be  of  practical 
utility.  He  knew  not  their  importance,  and  desisted  from  fur- 
ther depredations  when  his  mind  had  been  enlightened  in 
regard  to  them.  It  has  been  the  custom  of  English  tourists, 
and  certainly  a  policy  of  English  officials,  to  abuse,  without 
stint  or  hesitancy,  the  memory  of  that  extraordinary  man.  He 
commenced  with  nothing,  and  died  an  emperor  in  exploits ;  the 
Avhole  world,  at  one  period,  rang  with  his  name.  What  was 
Egypt,  when  he  undertook  those  moral  and  domestic  revolu- 
tions which  have  made  it  what  it  is,  but  a  vast  den  of  thieves, 
robbers,  brigands  and  murderers  ?  It  was  a  series  of  petty  sov- 
ereignties, or,  rather,  despotisms,  imder  the  military  sway  of 
infamous  marauding  chieftains,  who  neither  acknowledged  the 
rights  of  Christians,  Mohammed,  or  the  devil,  although  serving 
the  two  latter  with  untiring  vigor.  My  opinions  are  radically 
changed  in  relation  to  the  character  and  historical  claims  of 
Mohammed  AH,  whose  destiny  would  have  been  a  divan  in 
Constantinople,  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference  of  the  dom- 
inant powers  of  Europe. 

Egypt  is  a  problem ;  what  awaits  it  in  the  future  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  predict.  I  have  but  a  faint  expectation  that  Abbas 
Pasha  will  remain  many  years  in  quiet  possession  of  a  country 
that  is  at  his  individual  mercy,  without  an  obligation  to  render 
an  account  of  his  administration  to  a  superior,  or  to  the  people, 
whom  his  minions  are  grinding  to  the  dust.  How  the  revenues 
are  disbursed  no  one  presumes  to  inquire  ;  or  upon  what  princi- 
ple taxation  is  made  is  equally  a  puzzle,  beyond  the  ken  of 
civilized  politicians."  How  long  the  present  order  of  things 
will  remain  is  questionable,  since  it  is  well  known  that  the 
elements  of  discord  are  operating  between  the  viceroy  and  the 
Sublime  Porte ;  and  it  is  equally  beyond  the  sagacity  of  those 


CONCLODING   REIklARKS.  383 

who  are  accustomed  to  the  more  stable  organization  of  society 
in  refined,  Christian  England,  and  the  United  States  of  North 
America,  to  predict  what  destiny  is  reserved  for  the  ancient 
land  of  the  Pharaohs. 


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Each  course  will  be  divided  into  two  parts,  one  of  purely  Physical  Geography,  the  other  for  Eth- 
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Physical  and  Political  Atlas,  prepared  expressly  for  this  purpose,  delineating,  with  the  greatest 
care,  the  configuration  of  the  surface,  and  the  other  physical  phenomena  alluded  to  in  the  corres- 
ponding work,  the  distribution  of  the  races  of  men,  and  the  political  divisions  into  States,  ^c,  ^c. 

The  two  parts  of  the  first  or  preparatory  course  are  now  in  a  forward  state  of  preparation,  and 
will  be  issued  at  an  early  day. 

MURAL  MAPS:  a  series  of  elegant  colored  Maps,  exhibiting  the  Physical  Phenomena 
of  the  Globe.  Projected  on  a  large  scale,  and  intended  to  be  suspended  in  the  Itecitation 
Koom.    By  Arxold  Gcyot [in  preparation] 

KITTO'S  POPULAR  CYCLOP/EDIA  OF  BIBLICAL  LITERATURE.  Con- 
den.«ed  from  the  larger  work.  By  JoH\  KiTTO,  D.  D.,  F.  S.  A.,  author  of  "  The  Pictoral 
Bible,"'  "History  and  Physical  Geography  of  Palestine,"  Editor  of  "The  Journal  of 
Sacred  Literature,"  etc.  Assisted  by  numerous  distinguished  Scholars  and  Divines, 
British,  Continental  and  American.  TVith  numerous  illustrations.  One  •volume, 
octavo,  S12pp cloth, . . .  .3,00 

The  ForcLAR  Biblical  Ctclop.cdia  of  Literature  is  designed  to  furnish  a  Dictioxaet 
cr  THE  Bible,  embodying  the  products  of  the  best  and  most  recent  researches  in  Biblical  Liter- 
ature, in  wliich  the  SchoUirs  of  Europe  and  America  have  been  engaged.  The  work,  the  result 
of  immense  labor  and  research,  and  enriched  by  the  contributions  of  writers  of  distinguished 
eminence  in  the  various  departments  of  Sacred  Literature, — has  been,  by  universal  consent, 
pronounced  the  best  work  of  its  class  extant ;  and  the  one  best  suited  to  the  advanced  knowledge 
of  the  present  day  in  all  the  studies  connected  with  Theological  Science. 

The  Cyclopaidia  of  Biblical  Literature  from  which  this  work  is  condensed  by  the  author,  is 
published  in  two  volumes,  rendering  it  about  twice  the  size  of  iiie  present  work,  and  is  intended, 
iays  the  author,  more  particularly  for  Ministers  and  Theological  Students ;  while  the  Popular 
Cyclopaetlia  is  intended  for  Parents,  Sabbath  School  Teachers,  and  the  great  body  of  the  religious 
public.  It  has  been  the  author's  aim  to  avoid  imparting  to  the  work  any  color  of  sectarian  or 
denominational  bias.  On  such  points  of  difference  among  Christians,  tlie  J/istorical  mode  of 
treatment  has  been  adopted,  and  care  has  been  taken  to  provide  a  fair  account  of  the  arguments 
which  have  seemed  most  conclusive  to  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  various  opinions.  The  PictorrJ 
lUustratJons  —  amounting  to  more  than  three  hundred — are  of  the  very  highest  order  of  the  art. 


WM^Mm^M  ^iilSWi^ii   W#l:^la 


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those  p'  other  and  similar  regions,  by  L.  Agasbiz,  and  contributions  from  other  eminent 
Srleiibfis  Gentlemen.  With  a  Narrative  of  the  Expedition,  and  illustrations  by  J.  E. 
Cabo^     One  volume  octayo,  elegantly  illustrated, cloth,. . .  .3,50 

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CHAMBERS'  CYCLOP/EDIA  OF  ENGLISH  LITERATURE.  A  Selection  cf 
the  choicest  productions  of  English  Authors,  from  the  earUest  to  the  present  time. 
Connected  b}'  a  Critical  and  Biographical  History,  ronning  two  large  imperial  cctavo 
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their  writings,  connected  by  a  Biographical,  Historical,  and  Critical  Narrative ;  thus  presenting  a 
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KITTOS    POPULAR    CYCLOP/EOIA    OF    BIBLICAL    LITERATURE.     Con 

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numerous  illustrations.    One  volume,  octavo,  812  pp.  cloth,    S3,00 

JC^This  is  just  THE  work  for  Sabbath  School  Teachei-s,  the  Family  Library,  and  for 
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immense  amount  of  important  information  to  be  found  nowhere  else. 

Tne  Kexv  York  Commercial  Advertistr  says,  "This  is  a  Dictionary  of  scriptural  topics, 
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it  is  very  happUy  adapted  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  Family,  the  Sunday  School  Teacher,  and 
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guished merit,  embodying  the  results  of  the  best  and  most  recent  researches  in  bibUcal 
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can  assure  our  readers  that  it  is  a  book  of  no  ordinary  value.  TTe  know  of  no  work  which 
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Bible  reader  will  consult  with  pleasure,  and  which  will  enhance  the  interest  of  the  Bible 
itself,  by  making  the  reader  more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  locaUties  mentioned 
therein,  with  the  circumstances  connected  wifii  the  preparation  of  each  book  of  the  sacred 
Word,  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  ancients,  with  the  geography  of  the  Holy 
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reach  of  hundreds  of  ministers  who  did  not  feel  able  to  purchase  the  unabridged  work 
In  this  volume  you  have  the  pith  of  the  entire  work." 

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for  reference  in  the  family,'  for  the  use  of  the  Sabbath  School  Teacher,  and  for  Bible 
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2%e  New  Torh  Christian  InteUigeneer  says,  "  "VTe  know  of  no  -work  in  the  language,  as 
a  repository  of  biblical  hterature,  to  be  at  all  compared  with  this  most  valuable  collection 
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=@EEB  mM&MEMmm  WMM^MMMMM, 


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FINE  ARTS.  Containing  a  copious  and  clioice  selection  of  Anecdotes  of  the 
various  forms  of  Literature,  of  the  Arts,  of  Architectui-e,  Engravings,  Music, 
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the  general  reader.  It  is  illustrated  with  engravings,  and  finely  printed,  the  pages  resem- 
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read  of,  is  continually  craving." 

The  work  will  first  be  published  in  eight  numbers,  at  twenty-five  cepts  e&ct 
which  together  will  make  an  elegant  royal  octavo  volume  of  about  730  pages.   The  fbst 
number  has  just  been  issued,  and  the  others  will  follow  once  in  two  weeks  till  com- 
pleted. 
A   WREATH    AROUND   THE   CROSS;    or,  Scripture  Truth  Illustrated.     By 

Eev.  a.  Morion  Browj^.  '   "With  an  Inteoddciion,  by  Rev.  John  Asgeix  James. 

With  an  elegant  Frontispiece.    16mo.  cloth,  60  cents. 

The  Zioti's  Herald  says,  "  In  a  richly  evangelical  style  the  author  illustrates  the  essential 
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eiecution  able." 

The  Albany  Spectator  says,  "'We  have  not  seen  a  book  for  many  a  day  with  a  more 
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cheering  the  prospect.  Leaving  the  field  of  mere  controversy  to  others,  the  author  at  once 
approacbes  and  leads  all  with  him  to  the  cross  ;  exhibits  it  as  the  means  of  our  justifica- 
tion, sauctification  and  eternal  blessedness ;  aims  to  cultivate  the  heart  rather  than  tho 
intellect ;  takes  the  enquirer  from  the  sign  to  the  thing  sanctified ;  and  gives  both  edification 
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GUYOT'S  MURAL  MAP  OF  THE  WORLD,  on  a  large  scale,  (5  by7feet,)for 
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THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  SPECIES;  its  typical  forms  and 
primeval  distribution.  With  elegant  illustrations.  By  Charles  Hamilton  Smiih. 
With  an  I>'troddction,  containing  an  abstract  of  the  views  of  Blumenbach, 
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Jr.,  M.  D.    12mo.  cloth,    Sl,25 

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12mo.  cloth,  extra,  in  press 

ICr"  An  elegant  Gift  BooJc. 

NOVELTIES  OF  THE  NEW  WORLD;  an  Account  of  the  Adventures  and 
Discoveries  of  the  First  Explorers  of  North  America.    12mo.  cloth,  in  press. 

Being  second  volume  of  Baxvard's  Series  op  American  Historieb. 

•OUNG  AMERICANS  ABROAD:  or  Vacation  in  Europe ;  embodying  the  resnlfca 
of  a  tour  through  Great  Britain,  France,  Holland,  Belgium,  Germany  and  Switzerland, 
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THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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